Two Sides of Me
by Mercs2Girl
Summary: After Vince Korsak retires, the Boston Police Department is in need of a replacement Detective. Upon first impressions, Jane Rizzoli is not impressed with the decision to hire Detective Alice Abernathy from Detroit Homicide. With Abernathy and Rizzoli butting heads constantly, will BPD be able to stay sane? -Contains eventual Rizzles & Clairice Aberfield-
1. Rumour Has It

**A/N: Ah yes, back to writing, particularly for my new fandom obsession with Rizzoli & Isles. I had this idea sprung to me a little while ago, and figured I'd attempt to write it in between writing for Resident Evil: Redemption. This is Alternate Universe for RE, set in Boston with the cast of R&I. And no, there will not be any zombies. There will be a fic for _that_ later. Without further discussion, enjoy the first chapter!**

* * *

Two Sides of Me– A Rizzoli & Isles and Resident Evil Fiction

**Chapter One: Rumour Has It**

"So wait, wait, what's this I hear about the homicide unit getting Korsak's replacement today?" Jane Rizzoli glanced up from her desk, after hearing minor discussion between her younger brother and partner. Frost slid back in his chair, glancing over his computer screen, scrolling down.

"That's the news I heard," He replied, brown eyes scanning over the page that loaded before him. Frankie leaned down over Frost's shoulder, and his brows furrowed as he analysed the photo of the new detective taking Korsak's place.

"Detective Alice Abernathy, formerly of Detroit PD. Worked homicide for ten years, put away a lot of big time gangbangers, and solved a lot of cold cases." Frankie read off the briefing they had received about the new detective aloud. Jane got up and walked to the other two; leaning down Frost's other shoulder to get a look.

"Huh. Wonder how they wound up picking someone all the way from Detroit. Whatever happened to hiring in Boston?"

"I don't know, but – " Frost stopped himself when he caught movement at the door to the office. All three of them glanced up slowly at the new arrival: a dirty blonde woman who wore her hair in soft curls, cropped short before her shoulders stood in the doorway, leaning on the frame. She was dressed in a white button-down dress shirt with the top few left open, and low rise dark grey trousers, and black leather boots. She held a cigarette between her lips that was nearly finished burning.

* * *

"They wanted someone to come in to this department with a track record to take over for Sergeant Detective Korsak. Someone with experience and the know how to help run a successful homicide team." The woman stepped forward, and Jane's eyes widened slightly.

"You can't smoke in here." Jane said firmly, quite unimpressed as it stood so far. Even the way the other woman walked with an air of arrogance had Rizzoli inwardly twitching.

"Oh, sorry." The blonde replied, taking the stub of a cigarette out of her mouth, spitting slightly onto her two fingers before pinching the end of the butt out to toss it in one of the garbage bins without a care. Jane walked over to the woman, gauging that she was only about two inches shorter than she was.

"You must be Detective Abernathy."

"That I am, Detective…?" Alice offered a hand forward which Jane shook rather firmly

"Jane Rizzoli. That's Detective Frost, my partner, and this is my younger brother and officer, Frankie Rizzoli." Alice glanced to the other men, her blue-green eyes meeting each man's before turning back to Jane.

"Pleasure. So, once things are set in writing," Alice drawled, her voice raspy. Jane figured it was from the smoking habit if anything. She stood, thumbs in her belt hoops. "I'll be on the BPD's homicide squad."

* * *

"Yeah, you will." Jane replied, smiling only briefly at the woman. Sure, she might not have had bad intentions or anything whatsoever, but something about her just had Jane ticked. Jane was glad that for the first little while, she wouldn't be forced to work with Abernathy, not directly anyway. For the first while, she'd just tag along with her and Frost, learning of how things are done in Boston. "Listen, I'm gonna head down to the café, you guys want anything?" Jane glanced to her brother and Frost first.

"Nah, I'm good. Thanks, sis." Frankie tipped his hat as he put it on, excusing himself. Frost glanced between the two women, and shook his head, holding up his still hot cup on his desk.

"You go, we'll hold the ranch until you get back, Jane."

"Right. Okay then." Jane gave another casual glance to Alice before walking past her, furrowing her brows as she noticed the blonde's eyes giving her quite the evident once over from top to bottom as she walked by. Making a face as she left the office, the elder Rizzoli headed down to the café, spotting her mother talking to someone at one of the numerous tables. Someone she knew all too well…

* * *

"Oh, Jane, about time you got down here." Angela smiled. "I made breakfast for Dr. Isles. Would you like something?"  
"Yeah, yeah sure. Thanks, ma." Jane replied, smiling as she sat down in the high legged chair across from Maura. Angela smiled at the two of them, then hurried off behind the counter to the kitchen, leaving the pair.

"You seem distraught. Something bothering you?"

"I- How could you tell?"

"The tone of your voice plus the way you walked in so apprehensively was much different than the way you were acting this morning. Clearly something has bothered you since I saw you for coffee earlier." Maura replied softly, tilting her head curiously at her best friend. Jane gave her a look, and then sighed in defeat.

"Vince's replacement came in this morning." Jane explained, fiddling with the napkin dispenser on the table. Maura continued to eat away at her plate of pancakes, honey-hazel eyes meeting Jane's. "She's uh… interesting. Walked in smoking a cigarette. Indoors. Who does that? I mean, don't tell me in Detroit they allow that!"

"Well, each jurisdiction can have its own bi-laws which can be different per state and per county."

"That's not the point! It was rude, and come on, what kind of detective smokes these days?"

"Nicotine is a very addictive substance, making smoking a hard habit to quit." Maura added between bites.

"Still! So who knows where her fitness level stands? I don't need her hacking a lung up when we're chasing down a perp!" Jane huffed as Angela brought over a plate of bacon and eggs. "Thanks, Ma." She began with a few bites to her eggs before Angela's curious glance made her stop.

* * *

"What's this detective's name? Maybe I can find out more about her if she comes down here."

"Detective…" She chewed. "Abernathy."

"Abernathy? That sounds… English or something. Is she English?"

"Actually, Angela, Abernathy comes from Scotland, in particular Perthshire. In fact, there are many different spelling variations based on the way the name was pronounced, like Abernethy, and Abernethie with a 't-h-i-e' instead. Many Scots immigrated to America and Canada in the 16th century, and one of the more renowned members of the Abernathy clan was John Abernathy who settled here in Boston in 1767."

"Thanks, Maura, I really needed to know where her name came from."

"Jane, don't be rude." Angela crossed her arms, giving her daughter a look. Jane huffed again, sipping her fresh coffee.

"No, she's not English or Scottish. She's got a raspy _De-troit_ attitude."

"I think you're being a little harsh, Jane. First encounters and impressions usually change once you get to know and work with someone." Maura smiled. "Like you and I for example." Jane made a face, then chuckled a little.

* * *

"That was different. I was undercover as a completely different person. This woman is just… something about her, I don't like it."

"Like I said, Jane, I'll maybe get to know her if she comes down here."

"No, no you will not. You'll be nice, but you will not fraternize with my new 'co-worker'. Okay?"

"Speaking of _fraternizing,_" called out a voice from across the room, belonging to Detective Abernathy. Her hand was on her hip, above where her gun holster now sat, wearing a dark blazer over her white shirt now, badge on her belt. "If you're done here, Detective Rizzoli, we've got a case on our hands. There's a stiff that's been tossed in the Charles River."


	2. Hostile Water

**A/N: So with much praise for the past chapter from friends and other writers, I've really taken to writing this story. So, enjoy a much longer chapter. Note, the rest of the chapters will be about the 2,300-3000 word mark, just so you all know. Enjoy~**

******A/N # 2: If any of you get the references to the victims throughout this story, bonus points for you. Heh.**

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**Chapter Two: Hostile Water**

"Well isn't this peachy?" Jane commented as she began fast walking out of the café, falling into stride with Alice. Maura left them to go back to her lab to grab her kit to meet them at the scene. Alice side glanced at Jane, arching one thin eyebrow.

"Look, I know we don't know each other. But I have a low tolerance for bullshit, Detective. Where I come from, attitude problems and in squad disagreements are what get you shot out in the streets when you don't have each other's backs. I get that this is your turf, and I by no means am stomping on it. I just want a well-run team that can solve cases."

"This isn't Detroit," Jane hastily replied, grabbing her keys for her car out of her pocket as they got into the elevator. Jane hit the ground floor button, and stood back against the wall. "What I am saying is that until you know how we do things here that you shouldn't take charge just because of your years of experience. We are all on the same side, Detective." Jane replied, and finally the ding of the elevator sounded, and both long legged women headed out to the parking lot of the police department headquarters.

Alice followed Jane to her car, standing at the passenger side before the doors were unlocked on the Ford Crown Victoria. She glanced over the top of it at Jane as she fumbled with her keys. "It may not be Detroit, but you and I both know what happens out on the beat. I wouldn't want anyone to get hurt because of something stupid." She rasped out before the door was unlocked, and she tugged the handle to open the door, sliding in to the seat, buckling up. Jane started the car up, and was backing out of the parking lot when Alice had rolled the window down, reaching into her trousers' front pocket. "Do you mind?" Alice asked, her silver case of cigarettes and lighter in her hand.

* * *

"Geez, you only had one what, an hour ago? Yes, I do mind." Jane snapped back, turning out of the parking lot, heading towards the location where the body had been found in the Charles.

"Fine, fine. I just asked." Alice replied, stuffing the items back into her pockets. "Maybe you should just take it up to take the edge off of you, Rizzoli. You sound like you need it."

"Excuse me?" Jane arched a brow, side glancing for a second as she drove at the irritating woman in her front seat. She gripped the steering wheel tighter, knuckles paling.

"I'm just saying, it'd make your job and mine a helluva lot easier if stress wasn't so readily available." Alice replied, taking in the Boston scenery. She had only been in the city for a little over two weeks, and had yet to fully explore its every neighbourhood.

"Maybe, you should just be quiet, and stop causing _me_ stress while I'm driving. How about that, huh, Abernathy? Can you do that? Just sit back on your first day on the job, and just silently _watch_?" Jane sneered, pulling up to the edge of the Harvard Bridge, which had been cut off to regular traffic whilst the crime scene investigators had recovered the body.

"Fine." Alice replied dismissively, getting out of the car just as Jane had put it into park. Dr. Isles' blue Toyota Prius soon pulled up right behind them, and Alice walked on ahead, letting the other two women converse behind her as they made their way down to the shore line.

* * *

"She's driving me insane, Maura." Jane said under her breath to Maura as they let themselves have some distance between them and Detective Abernathy, heading down to the bank where the body of the victim was laid out.

"I'm sure you're not insane," Maura reassured with a soft smile. "It's her first day. Her stress levels could be higher than normal."

"Her stress levels? How about mine?"

"Jane, come on. Give it some time to settle in. She seems like a woman who would have things in common with you."

"Like what? The fact that we're both in law enforcement? Big deal."

"Well, it might run past that. In fact, you two could share more than just a common profession."

"Would you stop? Just… let it go, Maura. Please?"

"Okay." Maura replied. "You have yet to introduce us."

"Oh she'll do that for me." Jane muttered, drawing up as they stood around the body. Maura smiled as she walked ahead at the shorter haired blonde.

"I'm Dr. Maura Isles, Chief Medical Examiner of Massachusetts." She offered a hand politely to Alice, who then took it in her own, her hand outsizing Maura's.

"Detective Alice Abernathy. It's uh… nice meeting you, Doctor." Alice replied, briefly smiling before letting the woman go ahead and begin processing the body that was lying on the lawn.

* * *

"Female, appears to be aged between late twenties, early thirties. Caucasian. No obvious wounds over the torso." Maura continued on, peering down at the woman's corpse that was pale, and quite stiff. "Rigor mortis has set in." She paused, reaching for her body thermometer. "Body temperature reads at 77.6 degrees. She's been dead between ten and thirteen hours.." Alice stood her ground, peering down at the stiff.

"She's uh… quite endowed." Alice smirked, causing Jane to give her a look. Maura simply glanced up at the detective's observation.

"Yes, it would seem that the victim has rather large breasts."

"Think they could be fake?" Alice chuckled. Maura went to respond, but Jane cut her off.

"She's well-dressed too. What is that? Gucci?"

"Actually no. It's Versace. Might be custom made." Maura looked over the still soaking wet beige dress that clung to the victim's body, along with pieces of jewelry on her neck and wrists. "She clearly was not robbed with this amount of jewelry on her person."

"I take it she might've had a clutch bag instead of a purse?"

"It's possible. That's why she probably doesn't have it now. Though," Maura looked down at the corpse's left hand. "Her fingers are curled around something, rather tightly."

* * *

Maura took the woman's arm and lifted it up, sliding out the object between her well-manicured fingers. "Appears to be a syringe. Perhaps that would explain the odd circles on her left forearm just above the inside of her elbow. There seem to be multiple bruises and abrasions on her inner left forearm."

"So she was shooting heroin?" Alice added skeptically.

"I can't confirm that until the substance inside the syringe is tested."

"No, Abernathy, not everyone here in Boston shoots up like they do in Detroit."

"Hey, if you'd mind not insulting the place where I grew up, that'd be great." Alice chided back, exhaling through her nose, her lips pursed together in a disapproving frown.

"I used to work the drug unit." Jane informed her. "I've seen the statistics."

"Victim does not appear to have any other wounds or abrasions over her visible torso. Only the marks on her arm possibly consistent with the hypodermic needle."

"Right, well, I'm thinking she was high and probably fell off this bridge." Alice replied, crossing her arms as the breeze carried off the river picked up. She began offhandedly biting her own lip, her nicotine craving peaking

"I don't think so. With the way rigor mortis has set in, she was dead before she hit the water. Look how she was positioned. Flat on the ground, arm over her stomach, other hand with the syringe."

"Again, she could've passed out from the drug high she was on." Alice insisted again, glancing down at the corpse's dishevelled beehive hairstyle. "Who still wears hair in a beehive? I mean really."

"She's wearing Versace, I think she can get away with a 60's beehive." Jane replied, stepping back.

"Whatever. I still say she OD'd on heroin or PCP or something. And someone tossed her." Alice said dismissively before leaving the body of the raven haired woman, heading back for the squad car, Jane following her.

* * *

Alice glanced over the screens hooked to the brick walls of the office for the homicide unit, leaning back in her chair, ballpoint pen stuck between her teeth for when she couldn't smoke indoors. They had pictures sent from Dr. Isles of the woman on the table. Jane walked in, pacing a bit, twirling her hair between her thumb and forefinger. "Okay, so we find Jane Doe dumped in the Charles. Still waiting to hear back from Maura about what was in the syringe and if that was what killed her."

"Think she could've maybe drowned?" Frost offered, glancing to Alice. She shrugged, taking the pen out of her mouth, sighing.

"Drug overdose is the only thing that makes sense. Possibly, someone could have held her underwater while she was high and unable to fight back."

"Maybe the syringe in her hand was purposely put there." Jane paced the floor some more across the front of the office. Then, her phone began ringing, and she took it off her belt. "Oh, Dr. Isles has something good." Jane smiled a little, paying no mind to Alice before heading down to the lab.

* * *

"So, what do you have for me?" Jane smiled upon greeting Maura, who was in the midst of picking apart the Jane Doe's stomach contents.

"Well, Detective Abernathy was right; our Jane Doe did overdose."

"Damnit!" Jane cussed. "Now she'll be riding on being right."

"She was only partially correct. Yes, Jane Doe overdosed, but it was not from heroin or Phencyclidine."

"Then what was it?" Jane inquired further, walking closer as Maura continued to work.

"We're not sure yet. Further tests were needed. In her stomach, she has what appears to be a heavy pasta, chicken, and pieces of Romaine lettuce…"

"Okay so she ate out somewhere or was a good cook."

"That could give you a location if she was eating out." Maura pointed out, glancing up to meet Jane's glance. "You're still stressed about the new detective, aren't you?"

"Maura, now is not the time. What else?"

"Scanned her DNA in the system. Nothing came up, though there was a finger print on the syringe that didn't belong to our victim." She added, finishing up with the stomach contents

"A drug dealer?"

"Potentially."

"I guess it's a start." Jane replied dismally, looking over the corpse on the table that was now cut open. "Did the overdose stop her heart?"

"Yes. Her heart rate escalated to the point of cardiac arrest. No water was found in her lungs, therefore she was put in the river post-mortem."

"Okay, so she was dumped. Someone wanted her dead." Jane continued her earlier habit of twirling her thick, luscious hair between her fingers, catching Maura's all too knowing look.

"Someone's still quite sexually frustrated." Jane stopped her pacing, and hand actions, and then exhaled deeply.

"I am not!" She protested. "I'm just stressed, all right? Like you said."

"Your left eyebrow just moved. You're lying." Maura chuckled, removing her gloves before discarding them in the reciprocal. "How are things with Special Agent Dean?"

"They're not going anywhere. I told you, Maura, he wants a steady relationship; I don't." Jane dismissed the claim with a sigh as Maura began writing up her findings in Jane Doe's stomach.

"Still, Jane. Being this frustrated does not help your mood. Perhaps we should go to yoga again." Maura suggested, glancing up from her clipboard. Jane smiled a little.

"Maybe, once we get a lead on the case and solve it."

"It's a date then."

* * *

"So, uh, Alice. You used to work Homicide in Detroit. How was that?" Frost asked, long after Jane had left the room. Alice turned in her wheeled chair to face the younger man, smiling a little as she removed the pen from her teeth.

"It was… interesting. Some days you got clean cut gang related murders. Other days you'd get drug kills, and some days, you'd find the really fucked up cases that leave you unable to sleep for weeks at a time."

"And how many years have you been a detective?"

"Eleven and counting." Alice nodded. "You?"

"Guess I'm still the new guy then." Frost sighed, and then chuckled at the thought. "Four years. Jane's brother is in the process of getting his gold badge too. It's a family thing around here. Mother works in the café, brother's working the streets."

"Must be nice." Alice replied, sipping on the remainder of her black coffee, finishing it off. Frost's brows furrowed slightly.

"If you don't mind me askin',"

"No, no, it's fine. I always feel a team should know each other, not hide any secrets, y'know? Makes trusting and relating to each other easier." Alice paused, flattening out a wrinkle in her button-down. "Don't really keep in touch with my mother back home. Father was never part of my life."

"Ah." Frost nodded. "My father is in the Navy. We never really stayed in one place for a long time, and eventually when he took one extra leave, my mom took me back home and we stayed put."

"Are you married, Detective?" Alice asked out of curiosity. Frost shook his head.

"No," He replied adamantly. "You?"

"Divorced." She glanced down at her left hand where a barely visible ring tan still existed on her third finger. "Part of the reason I moved back home to Detroit."

"Ah. Korsak had divorce issues too. Three ex-wives."

"Let me guess. They hated the job?"

"Just about. Felt bad for the guy." Frost stood up, stretching out a bit. "I'll head down to the lab, see if Jane's got anything."

"Yeah, I was thinking that." Alice paused before rising, fishing out her military grade flip phone from her pocket. She answered it. "Detective Abernathy. Oh. _Oh_. Well then, we'll be right there." She sighed, standing as Frost looked on curiously.

"Another one?"

"Yep. This time off Lakeshore Rd. by Chandler Pond. Though this time, they've got an I.D."


	3. Company Connections

**A/N: Hey everyone! Thanks for the positive feedback! Makes staying up till 2AM to write these long chapters quite fun. And now to respond to the Anonymous reviews:**

**1) Anon Signed 'MJ' - Thank you! Care to elaborate who you are if I know you? You've signed a friend of mine's fanfiction before, and we're just curious to see if we know you!**

**2) the 'converted' anon: Heh. I feel proud. Secondly, there will definitely be more Resident Evil characters involved. Just you wait. ;)**

**3) Here's your update, other anon. :)**

**4) The Rose.. I don't even need to say anything to you. Except.. BERATS. ;) **

* * *

**Chapter Three: Company Connections**

"So, who's our victim?" Alice stood back, Jane eventually joining her and Frost as they stood by the edge of the picturesque Chandler pond. Dr. Isles held the driver's licence that identified the victim up to the detectives.

"His name is Ricardo Irving. Says he was from New York City on his driver's licence." Maura began, then turning back to the man's stiff, dead body. He was wearing stripped trousers, and a white jacket and suit shirt beneath it. His ginger hair dishevelled, eyes shut. "He appears to have the same style of abrasions on his inner left forearm as our last victim, though he has no needle on his person."

"Think they could be related?" Frost asked, trying not to totally glance at the body.

"It's possible, if Ricardo has been killed by the same substance as Jane Doe." Maura continued to poke and prod, going into his suit pocket, pulling out a slip of paper. It was still soggy and soaking, but the writing was legible. "Look at this. It's a phone number for the Boston area with the name 'Excella' written over it."

"Excella? Sounds very… Italian." Alice cast her glance to Jane.

"What are you looking at me for?" Jane rolled her eyes. "Not too many people named Excella this side of the world. If she lived here, which with that area code 617, she lives not too far off."

"Right. Well, let's go see if we can find this 'Excella'." Alice nodded to Frost who then left with her to their squad car back for the station.

* * *

"So, we've gotten two hits for an Excella in the 617 area code." Frost typed away at his computer as Alice walked back over. Jane had not yet returned from the crime scene to the precinct. "One is an Excella Anton, the other an Excella Gionne."

"Got pictures of them?" Alice inquired, folding her arms over her chest, leaning back against the wall as she glanced up at the monitors.

"I'll pull those up now." Frost typed away again. "The first one, Anton, is a retiree immigrant, moved her in '69. Not quite the same age. The other one…" he paused, pulling up a picture of a woman in a tabloid, her hair in similar beehive style and dress as what the Jane Doe had on. "Works for the Tricell Pharmaceutical Company."

"Hence why she's in the news and tabloids. That company has been making some major medical breakthroughs with regenerative serums used to fight against cancer cells without killing the patient as well."

"Says here she was out for a press conference as the new CEO. Isn't that the same dress she was wearing when she was found?" Frost glanced back to Alice, as she smirked, stepping forward.

"That it is. This was just the other night held at the Ritz." Alice smiled. They were finally getting somewhere in the case of the previously unidentified woman. "Come on, I'll drive." Alice offered, and Frost gave her the keys before grabbing his suit jacket, heading towards the door, just as Jane walked in.

* * *

"Where are you two off to?" She asked, arching a brow.

"Just got an I.D. on the Jane Doe. Name's Excella Gionne, newest CEO of the pharmaceutical company, Tricell."

"Huh, that's funny. The syringe in her hand? It had a partial finger print on it coming from the second victim, Ricardo Irving."

"Here, let me look him up too." Frost then went back to his computer, hurriedly typing up the man's name. "Bingo." He motioned the two women over, who both glanced at the monitors.

"He's involved with Tricell too." Alice pointed out.

"Get a look at this. The picture of the tabloid. That's him walking behind Excella."

"Who's the guy on her arm?" Jane asked.

"One uh…" Frost scanned the subtitle beneath the picture. "It doesn't say."

"That's odd. With the way he's dressed, he seems like a bodyguard. Glasses, suit…" Jane replied.

"Well, regardless of who he is, maybe he had something to do with this." Alice stated. "Or at least, tell us where she was last seen. Clearly, she and Irving were up to something together. Now they're both dead."

* * *

Driving north to the Ritz-Carlton hotel of Boston, Alice parked the squad car, glancing up at the immaculate, and fancy hotel before them. "Wow. That's uh… quite the place."

"Haven't been around town much, have you, Abernathy?"

"No, Rizzoli," Alice piped back. She was feeling rather irritable from not having a cigarette within the past five hours. "I've only been here two weeks, and I've been busy with a lot of crap." She snapped back, and as she left the car, Frost shot Jane a look from the front seat. She shrugged and got out, falling into stride with Alice as they entered through the tall entrance to the expensive hotel. Inside, the lobby was filled with waiting areas with old fashioned, but still gleaming furniture. Chairs were set around maple coffee tables, and various people dressed for the occasion were sitting around, drinking coffee and chatting. Alice went to the front desk where a clean cut man was working, no more than thirty years old.

"How can I help you?" He asked with a soft smile.

"We're from the homicide unit of the BPD. I'm Detective Abernathy, this is Detective Rizzoli, and Detective Frost." She flashed her new, shiny badge, pointing to the other two who were with her. "We need to know the room number of a woman named Excella Gionne was staying last night."

"Oh I-"

"She was murdered early this morning."

"Right. Sorry. She was in…" The man began looking through his computer files. "Room 1304."

"Thank you. Did she check out at any point?"

"No, she was scheduled to stay for another three days. Most of her company's executives had rooms on the thirteenth floor."

"How about a Ricardo Irving? Was he one of them?"

"Yes, he was. His room was right next door to Miss Gionne's." The young man informed them, and Frost wrote down the details. "Room 1302."

"Now," Jane stepped forward. "We're going to need to see your security tapes for the entrances and exits."

"Yes, yes of course. Anything else I can do for you, detectives?"

"No, we're good for now. If we need anything else, we'll just ask," Alice paused, reading his name tag, accepting the card keys for both rooms. "Ryan. Thank-you."

* * *

The trio then headed for the elevator, gun-ho for the thirteenth floor, hoping to catch a break. Alice leaned against the railing, and closed her eyes for a moment, a sinking feeling in her stomach. She never liked elevators much.

"Feeling okay there?" Frost asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine. I just… hate elevators. Always have."

"Really?" Jane snorted a little. Alice opened her eyes which were a pale blue colour in the reflection of the partially brass plated walls.

"I'm sure you have your fears too." Alice grumbled.

"Hey, let it go, ladies." Frost interjected as a 'ding!' resonated, signalling they had hit their designated floor. Alice shook her head, first off the elevator in a hurry before walking down the hallway, taking a left where a sign on the wall indicated the first twelve rooms were, searching for 1304. She then drew her pistol out of habit, waiting for Frost and Jane to catch up before sliding in the first card key. The light above the electronic lock flashed green, and she used her shoulder to further push open the door, storming in gun first. Frost followed her lead, scanning the bathroom. "Clear!"

"Clear." Alice replied, holstering her gun. The bed had been made, and there wasn't much showing that someone was staying there. "Appears housekeeping got here first."

"You might want to come and look at this." Frost called from the rather large bathroom suite. Alice and Jane both went to go into the door at the same time, earning robust glances to the other before Jane strode in first. On the counter top, there were several syringes and hypodermic needles, and one unmarked, brown glassed bottle. Frost slid on one purple latex glove to pick it up.

"Label says "Uro- uh…" He stammered, trying to pronounce the name written in neat Sharpie marker. Alice glanced down at it as well.

"Uroboros… what the fuck is that?"

"Never heard of it." Jane replied. "Could be a new nickname out on the streets. I'll see what my CI is up to, see if he knows anything."

"It sounds pretty damn fishy, whatever the hell it is. We'll need to get CSU down here." Suddenly, Jane's phone went off, and she answered it.

"Rizzoli. Oh. Well, that makes a lot of sense. Just discovered a drug binge in Excella Gionne's hotel room. Maura, can you look up the name 'Uroboros' U-r-o-b-o-r-o-s. Some kind of drug is all I can say. Thanks." Jane hung up, sliding the phone back in her belt.

"Ricardo and Excella were clearly in cahoots then. Funny, you'd think two executives of a pharmaceutical company would know better than to do drugs." Alice shook her head, counting that there were at least five needles, maybe more on the countertop.

"Maybe that's just it. Maybe it's some kind of drug they've made." Frost added, thinking. "Maybe it was meant to heal, they overdosed, and it killed them."

"Or," Jane replied. "Someone else involved spiked it with something lethal, and then tossed their bodies in the water, thinking they'd get rid of Ricardo and Excella for good."

"I'm starting to think that maybe this was about the business side of things. Rivalling companies wanting to eliminate the heads of the other companies to gain advantages in the market. I heard there were other companies at this banquet, heads representing the businesses." Frost pointed out. "I mean, it gives a perfect motive."

"Let's go check out Irving's room."

* * *

Busting in to Irving's room, the triad of detectives found nothing out of the ordinary. By that time, CSU had come down to take in anything that might've been considered evidence, particularly the bottle of drugs and the hypodermic needles. Alice looked out the window of the room, sighing slightly as out of habit, she was biting her nails down to the skin.

"I think the party must've stayed in Excella's room. There's not a drop of anything suspicious in here besides this man's fashion statements." Frost chuckled lightheartedly, pointing out another pair of striped trousers, this time in blue and white. "Stuck in the 70's."

"Well, now he's stuck in them for good." Alice smirked at her own joke, getting a glare from Jane across the room. "Now it's just a matter of going through those security tapes."

"Joy." Frost said sarcastically. "Hey Jane, think we could get Frankie to go through them?"

"He still determined to be a detective. I don't see why not."

* * *

It had been quite the long afternoon, going through hours of footage. Frankie was on his third cup of coffee, determined to find a break. So far, he hadn't seen a damn thing through the first four hours of footage. Alice walked by, coat over her arm. "Keep working. You'll find it." Alice smiled tiredly, patting the younger Rizzoli sibling on the shoulder.

"Yeah, I'm sure as hell tryin'. You uh… have a good night."

"You too." She smiled, before leaving the precinct, finally getting a chance to have that smoke she had been craving all day, driving home to her new small house on the south side of Boston.

* * *

"Have you figured out what the drug is?" Jane asked, leaning against one of the many counters in the morgue. Maura was still working away, waiting for her results to come in. The honey blonde's heels clacked against the tile while she worked, only looking up at Jane once in a while.

"It's a mixture of something. Something unheard of in the system. It is from a pharmaceutical company. A mixture of recreational drug, opium, and another mystery substance involved."

"Opium… that's morphine."

"Well, where it comes from anyway. What boggles me is why both victims died of cardiac arrest due to overworking stimulus when morphine is supposed to slow the functions of the human body down."

"Maybe the mystery substance is stronger. Or something."

"The bonds in the chemicals must be highly reactive against each other, thus causing the drug to become a stimulant. Both victims had quite the high dosage in their systems."

"Clearly, with the six needles found in Excella's hotel room." Jane added, checking her watch. It was nearing the seven o'clock mark. "Anything else interesting?"

"Nothing yet. I'm sure once you find something in the security tapes, we will be able to find out who dumped the bodies into the water, or at least, if they left the hotel before or after they died." Maura slowly took her gloves off, disposing of them before letting her hair down from its pony tail before running her hands through it, replacing the hair tie. She took off her lab coat and grabbed her purse quickly from her office.

"Hey, you wanna get a drink with me at the Robber? I need some way to relax."

"Sure, Jane." Maura replied with a smile. "You need it."

"Thanks, really."

* * *

"So, what do you think about Detective Abernathy after having a day working with her?" Maura asked curiously as she sipped a glass of fine red wine, the music and noises of the Dirty Robber in the background. Jane took a swig of her beer from the bottle, and set it down on the coaster, twirling it in her hands

"I guess she's not that bad." Jane admitted. "Puts clues together, takes charge. She's experienced. Just maybe not with her _attitude._"

"She'll adjust to the customs of the BPD. How to act, how to behave. Societal norms change in different aspects of life depending on the individuals around. Like in Detroit how Det. Abernathy must have been able to smoke indoors, whereas here, she is not allowed. Eventually, she'll adjust as people usually do."

"Seriously. I still can't believe she smokes." Jane shook her head in disbelief. "I mean, really?"

"I could perhaps talk to her about it."

"You do that. Get some sense into that woman." Jane chuckled. "Other than that… with this case, she seems pretty involved. Her and Frost get along, which is good in a few ways. I'm hoping Ma keeps away from her."

"Knowing your mother, that seems unlikely. There isn't a repeat customer that she hasn't spoken to."

"Great." Jane sighed, drinking yet another deep swig of her beer.

"Maybe your mother might get talking to Detective Abernathy. Maybe she'll find out personal information that you might not be able to get out of her."

"Oh she was pretty hell bent on being all 'open' and trusting with the team." Jane rolled her eyes exaggeratedly, causing Maura to smile and let out a small laugh, setting her wine glass down on the napkin, leaning back in the wooden booth.

"Give it some time, Jane. In the meantime," Maura reached across the table, patting Jane's hand with her own. "You should head home, get some rest."

"I'm glad you care about me so much, Maura."

"You are my best friend." The doctor smiled back, letting her grasp linger before reaching for her wine to finish it off. "I do care."

"Are we being sappy?" Jane teased, biting her lip slightly.

"A little sentimental, maybe. Sappy? I don't think so." Maura replied. "Come on, it's late. Your mother's probably wondering where we've been." Jane soon slid out of the bench, leaving a tip for the bartender on her way out, Maura walking beside her. It was late, and it was just going to be another long day ahead of them both.


	4. Personal Business

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! It makes writing this really fun and that people are enjoying it! To the several anons and non anons, Yes there will be eventual Rizzles. And to the Resident Evil Fans, there will be Alice/Claire. Don't worry. You'll see how Claire comes along eventually, probably around chapter eight or so. And 'The Rose', you are silly. Hehe. Anyway, enjoy this next chapter, and let me know what you think! (Also, you RE game fans will probably enjoy this too!)**

* * *

**Chapter Four: Personal Business**

"Welcome to the Division One Café, what can I do for you, Detective?" Angela smiled as the BPD's newest detective came down to the cafe, bright and early. Alice glance up, her hair in shorter curls than usual, the dirty blonde looking darker than usual.

"Uh, eggs and bacon, if you've got it. Scrambled, white toast, no butter. And a large coffee, please." Alice began digging out her small black leather wallet from her trousers' pocket, tossing out a ten dollar bill over the counter as Angela wrote down her order.

"For here or to go?"

"Here's fine." Alice briefly flashed a smile before walking down away from the till to find a table. It wasn't hard, considering it wasn't busy, and most people got their coffees and left. She got her coffee cup, and went over to the machine, gently depressing the button down, the dark liquid filling the cup to a quarter from the rim down. She added just a teaspoon of sugar before heading to her table, twirling the stir stick in the hot coffee before drinking it. Another ten minutes went by, and Angela brought out the plate with Detective Abernathy's breakfast on it.

"Thank-you, uh, Angela." She smiled, seeing the older woman's nametag clearly.

"Not a problem. If you ever need anything, being in the same unit as my daughter, just let me know."

"Again, uh, thanks for the offer." Alice began eating away, nibbling on toast between bites of eggs, saving the bacon for last. Angela glanced around, glad Mr. Stanley was not yet in. The other customers had gone off, leaving them and a few others in the café, the room fairly quiet and enjoyable.

"Seriously, just say it," She put her hand over Alice's right forearm, beneath the baby blue shirt she was wearing with her grey trousers. "And I can do it. So, I have to ask, how are you and Jane getting along?"

"Um," Alice swallowed. "Could be better. She seems to have a stubborn streak like myself. Firm, authoritative, and charismatic all make for good homicide detectives, in my books anyway. "

"Well, I know my Jane can be hard to get along with sometimes, but once you get to know her, she's a good person."

"I- can imagine." Alice went back to eating away at her breakfast, swallowing it back with a large swig of her coffee, not caring that it was still too hot really for consumption. She was well used to it.

"So, where did you work before here?"

"Detroit. Before that, Raccoon City, Michigan working in the security field." Alice shrugged slightly. "Wanted something more in life, became a cop then a detective." She said, almost distantly, finishing off her bacon and eggs. Angela's brows knitted together slightly, noting the woman's change in demeanour. "Got divorced in the meantime." Alice threw in, glancing down at that damned tan line on her left hand.

"Oh! Well, I'm divorced too, you know. Hasn't been all that long ago actually. Nearly a year."

"I've been divorced uh… ten years now or so. Lost track." Alice replied, meeting Angela's olive coloured eyes.

"You're a lot younger than me, but if you ever wanna talk, you know where to find me." She smiled before taking away the detective's plate. "Gotta go before Mr. Stanley gets mad at me again."

"Yeah, see you around."

* * *

Alice walked into the office of the precinct from the café, and smiled a little at Frost who returned it. "So, two executives from the same medical company wind up dead after injecting themselves with some kind of super drug, and then their bodies are found in two bodies of water, not too far away from each other. There's got to be another person involved."

"Been reading a few articles about Tricell in the papers. They get a lot of hate for what they do, testing on animals and what not."

"I thought that was illegal in most places."

"Not for them apparently."

"Hrm. I have a feeling this was more than just some animal rights protestor. By the looks of things," Alice glanced to his screen. "They're the 'make love, not war' type you'd see in the 60's. Not violent."

"The only other thing I can think of is the other pharmaceutical companies . Out for a rivalry perhaps?" Alice suggested. Frost rubbed his goatee.

"Or a deal gone wrong."

"Has Officer Rizzoli gotten back to us yet with the footage?"

"He's getting there I think. Let me call him." Frost wheeled back in his chair, and dug out his cell phone before ringing the younger Rizzoli.

* * *

"Whatcha got for us, Frankie?" Frost asked, glancing to Alice as he set the phone on speaker phone.

"So far, our two vics walked into the big board meeting, went up to their hotel rooms afterwards, and that's it so far."

"That's it?" Alice replied in disbelief. "Come on, there's gotta be something."

"Let me get there. Check the monitors." Alice turned to glance up at the screen. "I'll feed it to you guys now. " On the monitors, a black and white security camera feed came up of the hotel lobby. Frankie continued on. "There's Excella and Ricardo leaving."

"They seem to be a little drunk or something."

"Could be. Then they keep goin' upstairs through the first elevator, followed by this guy." Frankie controlled the zoom in onto a light haired man, wearing sunglasses and a suit.

"That's the guy from the tabloid!" Alice pointed out. "Bodyguard?"

"No, don't think so." Frost replied, pulling up the same tabloid on the other monitor to do a side by side comparison. "That's the same guy."

"Think you could run him through facial recognition?" Alice asked, and Frost nodded in response, typing away a few keys through the data base. The tabloid and the footage were focused in on the man's face. A name finally rose out of the database. Alice stood up, squinting at the screen a little. "Albert Wesker… Head of the Umbrella Corporation. Another medical company."

* * *

"That's not all." Frankie's voice cut in as he fast forwarded and changed cameras to the ones in the upstairs hall way. "Lookie here." Alice and Frost looked on the screen yet again to see Albert Wesker striding to room 1304, suitcase on wheels in tow, knocking before Excella opened it, not before embracing the man with a deeply heated kiss.

"So they were lovers."

"From two different companies."

"Guess they had more than one deal going on then." She smirked a little as Frost chuckled. Frankie laughed a bit too.

"He then leaves with the suitcase about four hours later at around ten p.m. Makes his way to the lobby, and then leaves in black Dodge SRT from the parking lot. Plate number HDFU 598 and it's not a Boston plate either."

"Well that makes sense." Frost pointed out. "This Umbrella Corporation's got North American headquarters in the state of Michigan. In a city called…"  
"Raccoon," Alice stated bluntly. "Used to live there twelve years ago." Frost glanced up at his new comrade.

"Oh yeah?" He inquired further.

"Used to work security for Umbrella actually. Just a temporary job, put at the bottom. I was basically the equivalent of a mall cop for the Corporation's headquarters, a skyscraper in the middle of the city." Alice informed them, noticing Jane had finally returned from the morgue.

* * *

"Maura found out the other part of the mystery drug. Methamphetamines." She informed them, turning to look at the screen. "Who's the guy?"

"Albert Wesker; CEO and Chairman of the Umbrella Corporation; a rival pharmaceutical company to Tricell. And Excella Gionne's lover." Frost replied. "So, Abernathy, you said you worked for the company. Know any dirt?"

"Besides the fact that most of the people who work there are assholes? None. I literally worked the downstairs floor, checking people for guns and weapons. Mall cop in a skyscraper."

"Why'd you quit?"

"Long story short, my married life went to shit, got a divorce, and wanted not a better paying job but rather something that was actually meaningful. Became a cop in Detroit, promoted to Detective after a few years."

"That's all fine and dandy," Jane replied, "But we need to bring this guy in."

"Good luck with that. Man's never around."

"I thought you said you worked security, not his personal organiser."

"I manned the doors. Logged who came in, who went out. Chairman Wesker was always out, only checking in now and again. Our best bet is to find out if he's still in Boston."

"If he killed and dumped Excella and Ricardo, what makes you think that he'll still be in town?"

"Because of the meetings between the country's biggest medical companies is still going on. It's a three day conference held at the Ritz. You would've noticed that, had you read the sign outside the boardrooms of the hotel." Alice snapped back, standing in front of Jane. "And now that word probably has gotten out about the CEO and her top executive found dead, that might just be ending shortly."

* * *

Heading back to the Ritz, sirens blaring, Jane, Frost, and Alice, joined by Frankie and another officer's cruiser pulled up outside, heading in to the hotel yet again. The same young man Ryan was working the front desk.

"Detectives, can I help you?"

"We need in to the pharmaceutical companies' convention in the boardrooms."

"They're almost finished."

"Right." Alice turned away, and Jane took the lead, storming in. "Frost, Frankie, go to the other board room. Abernathy, you're with me." Alice nodded, opening the oak doors to the first board room while the men went to Board Room B instead. She glanced around the numerous people involved, sitting at the big meeting tables, and enjoying a dinner buffet. Jane went around to the right, Alice to the left, and the women began hunting down the blonde man. Alice slid along the walls between the people, sliding her lithe body through people. She cast a glance to Jane, motioning to the far north side where the man was standing, two finely dressed women wearing sparkling gowns were talking with him. Jane headed forward, and soon the pair met up by the front of the board room. People cast glances their direction, gossiping about the sudden intrusion.

"Albert Wesker?"

"Yes? Do you mind? I'm a little busy right now." He replied, voice full of arrogance.

"Yeah," Jane replied, flashing him her badge. "Boston Homicide. Detective Rizzoli, this is Detective Abernathy. We need to have a talk back at the station." Wesker's brows furrowed beneath the rims of his dark sunglasses. He eyed the two female detectives standing before him.

"Can't it wait? I'm afraid you've come at a bad time."

"Oh really? Then why did we see you leaving Excella Gionne's hotel room at ten p.m. the other night? The same night she wound up dead and floating in the Charles River? Care to explain that?" Alice stated. The two females beside him slowly slinked away as a crowd began to gather around, watching intently.

"Don't make this any more difficult, Mr. Wesker." Jane replied, hands on her hips.

"Fine." He scowled, and then began walking out with the two detectives, glaring to his right at Alice. He swore he knew her from somewhere.

* * *

"So, this guy's the Chairman of the company you used to work for." Jane sipped her coffee as she waited outside of the interrogation room the man was sitting in. "You sure you're okay to handle this?"

"I'm telling you, Rizzoli, it's fine. I was low-level security. He probably doesn't even recognise me from the employee files. I can handle this. I've handled worse."

"Whatever you say. I'll be out here watching." Jane replied, leaning back against the wall.

"You won't be standing here long." Alice replied before going in, closing the door behind her. One of the policemen stood in the corner, watching on curiously in case anything happened. She didn't bother to sit down, noting Wesker hadn't drank from the Styrofoam cup on the table. She paced a little as she began to talk.

* * *

"So, what were you doing Tuesday night at ten? Oh that's right. Visiting your girlfriend the night before she was found overdosed on some kind of drug and tossed away in the river." Alice began, her tone sharp, tongue witty. She was going to go all out, bad cop style, just like at home in Detroit. Alice said she didn't deal with bullshit; this was how she handled said bullshit.

"She wasn't my girlfriend." Wesker growled in response, his glasses still covering his eyes. "Merely an associate that had discussed trading plans and partnerships between our companies."

"Oh really?" Alice replied, slapping down screenshots of the moment on camera where they kissed. "Explain that."

"Listen, Detective, I'm giving you seven minutes. Seven minutes is all I can spare to play your game, Abernathy." Alice arched a brow, leaning down on the table to be face to face with the head of the Umbrella Corporation.

"Well, let's put this to the test then. Give me an alibi. Where did you head after you left Excella?"

"I went out to my car with my belongings, which were fresh clothes and toiletries. You can check my bag in my car. It's still there. I then went to the club downtown where my associate, Dr. Samuel Isaacs was supposed to meet me. He was not there, nor did he show up, and so as you'll see on the later footage, I returned to the Ritz at half past one in the morning." Wesker explained before smugly smirking. "Anything else, Detective? Trying to pin more on me?"

"What about Ricardo Irving?" Alice asked. "Did he know of you and Excella? Perhaps he was jealous, so you injected him with the drugs they had made at Tricell, over dosing him so you'd kill him, and send him off?"

"I had no interest in Irving. He was simply Excella's co-worker. If she fucked him, I wouldn't be surprised. The shenanigans that woman got up to bemused me. Like I said, Sam Isaacs never met up with me, nor have I heard from him since."

"You seem oh so willing to have us off your back, and on to him. Why's that?"

"Because, I'm telling the truth." Wesker replied, glancing over his glasses at the blonde for a closer look. "You can call the club's owner at _The Sleaze_; he'll tell you and the security tapes will tell you that I was there. Dr. Isaacs was not. Never trusted that man in the first place."

"Uhuh. You don't seem distraught at all about losing Excella."

"Like I said, we were just partners, nothing more." Alice got back to pacing again, then leaned in close, seeing his light coloured eyes through his sunglasses.

"Really? Well, why don't you give us your DNA, and we'll prove that it wasn't you?"

"You seem rather hell bent on trying to arrest me, Alice Parks." Alice's eyes widened slightly.

* * *

"What did you call me?" She viciously hissed, moving back slightly.

"Oh trust me, I know every last person who ever worked for me. Including your husband." Alice remained still, jaw setting in a firm line.

"We're divorced. That happened ten years ago." She growled back. "What does he do? A janitor to clean up your garbage? Huh?"

"Actually, he's an executive. You could've had it all, Alice. The man makes two hundred thousand a year working for me." Wesker began smirking once more. "But now you're here, working as a detective. Do you miss Matthew? Hmm?" Alice took in a deep breath, clenching both her fists; blue eyes alight with ignited anger.

"My best friend? Yeah. I miss him. The fact that he was working to bring you down and suddenly wound up dead after he was about to send his evidence to the press is quite suspicious really. I'm on to you Wesker. You can keep lawyering up, scamming people, but one of these days…"

"Are you going to wait until it's too late for Isobella? Hmm?" Alice nostrils flared out of anger, and she grabbed the man by the shoulders, standing him up.

"What do you know?" She yelled, and by this time, both the officer, and Jane had stormed in, pulling her back.

"Enough!" Jane's raspy voice lowered an octave as she yelled, and tugged the shorter woman off of Wesker who simply stood back, his arrogant smirk never leaving his face.

"Always the same, Alice. Always the same. No wonder Spence was attracted to you. So full of fire, easy to anger… a man like him needs a woman like you."

"I dare you to say one more thing, you sick sonuva-"

"Come on! Enough!" Jane pulled Alice back and out of the interrogation room, giving a nod to the officer to let Albert Wesker go, the Chairman never once letting his smirk go.

* * *

"All right, I'm not one to ask personal questions, but what the hell was that about? I thought you said he didn't know you! And who the hell is Isobella?"Jane demanded, sitting Alice down in the next interrogation room. Alice closed her eyes, shaking her head before standing up again.

"You don't know me well enough to be able to ask me that. I'm letting it go. The tapes will tell us everything." Alice said as she headed for the door, not once looking Jane in the eyes. "Check records for Dr. Samuel Isaacs and if his alibi checks out. He sounds suspicious for not showing up, even if Wesker's story is a load of horse shit."

"Alice, wait."

"That's Detective Abernathy to you, Detective Rizzoli."

* * *

"We began looking at this Dr. Isaacs that the Chairman had talked about. Turns out, he was at the hotel at the same time Wesker was. In fact, he went to Excella and Ricardo's rooms as well. Look here." Frost pointed out to Jane as she sat down at her desk. The footage before them clearly showed a man in his late forties leaving with both Excella and Ricardo, leading them down the hall, one on each arm.

"Clearly, they're drugged on whatever substance was in the hotel room."

"And he's leading them like lambs to slaughter," Frost replied. "Probably died in the back of his car."

"That on camera too?"

"Yep. Land Rover. Plate I4C VI0."

"Let's go get him."


	5. Building Relationships

**A/N: First of all, a big thanks to my anonymous reviewers! It really makes me smile to see you leave such nice and encouraging comments about this story! Yes, there will be more Maura involved, as shown in this chapter, and when Claire arrives, you'll see her story come out. It'll be... interesting to say the least! I do have part of that written out, and oh man. You people will love it, I promise. **

**Enjoy and read & review as always!**

* * *

**Chapter Five: Building Relationships**

After the interrogation had hit an all too personal level, Alice had stormed out of the precinct furious. She had never met the Chairman of Umbrella face to face like that, nor had she expected him to know so much about her past. Outside of the police headquarters, and across the street, she sat down on a bench, tugging out the silver case and lighter that were in her pockets, and hastily lit up a cigarette. She needed one desperately to calm and steady her nerves. It was the only way besides drowning herself in a bottle of one malt scotch whiskey. She quickly took in a long drag of the lit smoke, inhaling it deeply as she watched the traffic go by in front of the station, flicking way the ashes.

She glanced up after smoking half of the cigarette, to see Dr. Isles walking towards her. Not wanting to put up a fuss, she turned her head the other way so the clouds moved away from the blonde medical examiner. "You do realise, Detective, that for every cigarette you smoke, you lose six minutes off your lifespan?"

"I'm not afraid of death," Alice replied nonchalantly, puffing away. Maura's brows furrowed slightly, doing her best not to breathe in the carcinogen vapour.

"Science has acknowledge that with the toxins and chemicals in that cigarette, increased exposure over long periods of time will cause many types of cancers and lung diseases, like COPD; chronic obstructive pulmonary disease which makes it very difficult to breathe and for your lungs to function. Around 6 million people die from tobacco usage each year, most around middle age." Maura explained, concern showing in her face for the new detective.

"Say what you will, Doc, but I've been smoking for the past ten years; not gonna stop now."

"You probably should, if you don't want it to interfere with your career."

"Look," Alice turned, glancing over the medical examiner, who was dressed quite fashionably with a flat black pencil skirt, and a silky button up shirt, hair just about perfect. Alice smiled a little, putting out her cigarette with one last puff. "I appreciate your concern, doctor, but until you can find a way for me to calm my nerves without the use of alcohol, that's quick and easy, let me know." She stood up, reaching in her pocket for the pack of strong mint gum before popping a piece into her mouth to rid the smell of the smoke from her breath. "Until then, have a nice day." She smiled before walking off, grabbing her keys from her pocket, heading back into the precinct to signify that she was going home a little early. Maura simply stood, baffled as she tried to comprehend Detective Abernathy's stand point on doing something clearly damaging to her health. She shook her head, and then headed up to her office.

* * *

Jane was waiting for her when she returned to the morgue, looking flustered. "What's the matter, Jane?" Maura asked, setting down her large purse before turning to her best friend. Jane rubbed her forehead, leaning back against the red counter with the sink.

"A lot. There's good and bad news. Good news is, we've got the main suspect for the murders and body dumping now in custody. He's being interrogated now by Frost and Frankie." Jane told Maura, running her hand through her thick raven hair, fingers catching on a few knots here and there.

"And the bad news?"

"We had another man involved from another company in interrogation. Turns out, Abernathy used to work for him. Low level security. Turns out he knew a lot more about her past than she thought, and I'm pretty sure she would've killed the guy had we not stepped in."

"So that's why she seemed so stressed outside."

"You saw her? Where?"

"Sitting across the street. Smoking. I warned her about the risks of smoking, but she didn't really heed to it."

"Too stubborn for her own good." Jane sighed. "So now she's tightened up about her past, won't say a word. And yet, she's the one who wanted us to share our private lives and be a 'tight knit' team. Hypocrite."

"Maybe she wants to feel more comfortable by you sharing your details with her first before being able to share her own. A personal trust bond, perhaps." Maura suggested. "She did ask if there was another way to calm her nerves down. I was thinking of maybe asking her if she would like to participate in a yoga class with us."

"No! I mean… no, not yet."

"Jane, it might open up a chance for friendship."

"Maura, I do not need to become friends with that woman, okay? Leave her to her own devices. If she gets fired for doing something stupid, she gets fired."

"That's not nice. What happened to looking out for one of your own?" Maura questioned, glancing at the clock. It was now half past five.

"We'll see, okay? When's your next yoga class?"

"Saturday morning." Maura's smile returned to her heart-shaped face. "Eight a.m. I expect you to be there."

"I will. I look forward to it, actually." Jane then stood forward off the counter. "I should go. Ma wants us to meet up for dinner at my place."

"Ooh, that sounds like fun." Maura said enthusiastically, watching Jane as she walked off.

"Oh yeah, so much fun. She expects me to cook!"

"Do you need some assistance?" Maura offered, chuckling.

"I think they'll cope. See you."

* * *

The next morning, Alice walked into work a good twenty minutes late, receiving a glare from Jane across the room. Alice paid her no mind as she continued walking to her desk, shrugging off her overcoat, wearing a navy blue shirt with dark grey work pants, and the usual belt. She had left early the night before, and came in late the morning after. Jane was far from impressed.

"Where the hell have you been?" Jane piped up, raising an eyebrow.

"Personal business." Alice replied. "Sorry, won't happen again. Traffic, you know the usual." She grumbled back, sipping on the large coffee she had gotten on her way in, letting it burn down her throat.

"Personal business? Really? And what happened to keeping a tight knit team, huh?" Knowing she was not in the mood to bicker, Alice shook her head, and simply went back to reading the file on her desk about Dr. Isaacs' arrest.

"So, they found Isaacs' DNA at the hotel, as well as video footage proving he left with Excella and Ricardo. What's going on with that now?"

"He confessed late last night." Frost added from across the room. "Going to trial sometime soon."

"Good." Alice replied, glancing through the gratuitous amount of paperwork she had yet to fill out. She kept her blue eyes focused on the papers beneath her, though she could feel the glower from Rizzoli behind her. Things were not quite going as she had planned.

* * *

A few hours had passed, and Alice finally finished up her paper work, filing it properly before closing up the folder into the drawer to be collected later for the records. She rubbed her tired eyes from lack of sleep last night, before checking her black wrist watch. It was half past twelve, and her stomach was grumbling. "I'm off for lunch break." She stated before leaving the office, and heading down to the Division One Café.

"What can I do for you today, Detective?" Angela greeted Alice with a smile, which was returned right away.

"Lunch special, thanks."

"Chicken or ham sandwich?"

"Chicken, hold the tomato."

"And to drink?"

"Just a glass of water." Alice nodded, before taking out a twenty dollar bill, sliding across the granite counter top. Angela sorted out her change of ten dollars and twelve cents from the cash register and handed it back. Alice then grabbed herself a single table with just two seats, sitting in the corner quietly to herself as she watched other people come in and come out with various food items. She only then glanced up when she saw the all too familiar heels clacking of the Massachusetts Chief Medical Examiner on the white linoleum floor. Maura smiled, stopping at her table.

* * *

"Dr. Isles, what can I do for you?" Alice asked, arms on the table folded, leaning forward to listen to the other woman.

"Well, detective, do you mind if I sit down with you?"

"No, no, go ahead." Alice continued to watch the doctor with curiosity, wondering just what she wanted with her.

"About earlier when you asked if I could come up with another way to calm your nerves down instead of smoking or consuming alcohol. Well, I have a way for you."

"And what would that be, really? Enlighten me."

"Have you ever considered trying yoga?" Maura smiled genuinely, thinking of her own experiences with Yoga. "It's a relaxing way to exercise, as well as to meditate, relieving high stress levels in a soothing environment. Found originally in India, it is a constitutional part of Hinduism, Buddhism, Jainism, and Sikhism, in order to use meditation to obtain salvation."

"Yeah, listen, Doc, I really don't have time after work to do extra curriculars." Alice clarified plainly. "I appreciate the offer, but I just don't have the time, especially with the case wrapping up and-"

"Detective, I believe it would be beneficial to your health. There is the South Boston Yoga Studio on 36 west, Broadway. Classes on Saturday begin at eight a.m. I'll be there. Lots of people participate, and you seem fairly fit and in shape. You won't find it difficult."

"All right, I'll see what I can do." Alice gave in, inwardly sighing. It was hard to resist the innocent charm that Dr. Isles possessed, and if it meant something less deteriorating to her health, then so be it. She figured she needed it more after the tough case with Wesker and the others yesterday. Angela had meanwhile brought over her chicken sandwich in a kaiser bun with lettuce, and the soup of the day, which happened to be chicken noodle with rice. "Thanks." She smiled, taking the glass of cold water first before taking a long drink out of it, relieving her parched throat.

"Well, how's your day going? Lots of paper work?" Angela asked, trying to bring up conversation between them. Alice took a rather large bite of her sandwich, and went to respond.

"It's – "

"Rizzoli! Get back over here!" The throaty voice of Mr. Stanley cut across the room, and Angela rolled her eyes.

"Excuse me, sorry about this. I've got to go." She then left Maura and Alice yet again. Maura however soon got up from the high legged chair and met the older detective's gaze with hopeful eyes.

"So, I hope to see you on Saturday,"

"I'll… think about it, Dr. Isles."

* * *

Once lunch break had passed, Alice was back to her much smaller mound of paper work, left only in the company of Detective Frost. He kept glancing up from his computer. Noting the somewhat awkward silence between them, he cleared his throat slightly as he sipped a glass of water.

"So, Abernathy, what was the whole deal with the interrogation yesterday?"

"Old boss from the corporation I worked minimal level security for. Turns out, my ex-husband wound up as one of Wesker's executives. I guess the two are on good terms." Alice replied dismally, rubbing her face. "Spence, the bastard he is, probably kissed a lot of ass to get up that high on the ladder. I still can't believe I married that guy."

"Why'd you get divorced, if you don't mind me askin'?"

"Basically, he was a conniving, cheating, asshole, scumbag, who I never should've dated or married. He was the perfect guy at first. Handsome, friendly, romantic…" Alice shook her head. "Dated for two years, got married, and he changed for the worse. Packed up my crap, quit my job, moved back to Detroit, became a cop instead."

"Man. I know the feeling. Sorta." Frost responded as Alice turned to face him in her wheeling chair, slouching back in it while crossing her right leg over the left, tapping her boot covered foot in the air. "I was engaged at one point, to an FBI special agent. Anna. But she was more willing to marry the job than me, so she broke it off."

"Damn. That uh, must've hurt."

"Yeah, but nowhere near as bad as you had it. I don't blame you, for what happened in that interrogation yesterday. Digging up old shit… that's just brutal."

"Thanks, Frost. For… caring." Alice replied, smiling a little. At least she had someone who understood, someone she could be friendly around in the precinct.

* * *

Saturday morning rolled around quite fast, the sun hitting the city bright and early. Wanting to try and reach out to another person at work, Alice decided to get up early for the yoga class that Maura had suggested she should go to. Dressing in baggy grey sweat pants which were rolled up at her thin hips, and a slim fit black ¾ sleeved tee shirt, Alice headed out, pulling out of her apartment's underground garage in her V6 Ford Mustang. Shifting the manual transmission into gear, she headed for the yoga studio on Broadway.

Grabbing her gym bag, Alice locked the new car she had traded her previous vehicle in for when she moved to Boston, and headed inside the yoga studio. The front façade of the building was in the typical Bostonian fashion with red and white bricks, but the inside was quite modern, with soft off white and pastel coloured walls, as well as contemporary furniture, and numerous bamboo plants. Maura was already standing in the waiting area, dressed to go. It was five minutes to seven when Alice stood before her.

"Ah, Detective, glad to see you came."

"Please uh, we're off duty. Call me Alice." She tiredly smiled.

"Call me Maura then." Then, she stood up, seeing her best friend walk through the front doors with two minutes to spare.

"Sorry I'm – Oh." Jane's brows furrowed suspiciously, seeing Alice in off-duty workout clothes with Maura. "What are you doing here?"

"Maura invited me." Alice shot back in her defence. It was the truth after all.

"You – She did?" Jane glanced to the honey-blonde with a scrutinizing gaze.

"Yes, I did. I invited Alice because she asked for a way to calm down without necessarily using tobacco or alcohol. She agreed." Maura nodded, innocent to the harsh undertone of Jane's voice. She could not believe that Maura had invited Alice of all people to join them on something they usually did together.

"Oh lovely." Jane fake smiled before heading in to the usual spot that she and Maura went for their yoga class. Alice stiffened her shoulders. She had had no idea Jane was also a part of this. Otherwise, she probably wouldn't have shown up, creating some excuse not to go. She waited until Jane was well out of ear shot.

* * *

"Listen, Maura, if I'm intruding on you and Jane's time together, I'll leave." Alice offered, biting down on her lip awkwardly.

"No, no, please. Just stay. I know you two haven't exactly started off that well, but this will be quite beneficial to the both of you for your work relationship. Please, stay."

"Okay, okay, fine. Just… I'll stay." Shaking her head, she then went on inside the bright studio room, borrowing a purple mat for the class. Once the class began, Alice followed the instructions of the middle aged man at the front of the room, falling into the rhythm of the class quite easily. The poses, albeit being challenging to achieve at first, were easy to adapt into once she got the hang of them, as with the deep breathing exercises. For once since the interrogation with Albert Wesker, the detective wasn't peering over her shoulder, paranoid that he'd somehow be there. Dr. Isles had been right about finding a way to relieve her stress, and she had to admit; it was quite relaxing after all.


	6. Luck of the Irish

**A/N: All righty! Here we go! An exciting chapter to have written in the course of the past few days. This is a pivotal moment. Thank you again to all those who leave me reviews, positive, and constructive alike. **

**This chapter is dedicated to 'The Rose/Slops of her Berats' because it's her 18th birthday today! And she loves my writing, so what better a gift than to update something she's crazy about? Hmm? That's what I thought. **

**Read, enjoy, and review, as always.  
**

**PS, I didn't realise how long this chapter was until I finished it and put all the parts that I wrote ahead of time together. 4000+ words. Have fun. :)**

* * *

**Chapter Six: Luck of the Irish **

"Well, what did you think, Alice?" Maura asked sweetly as the trio exited the yoga studio. Alice held a lofty smile on her face, a small layer of sweat on her pale forehead.

"It was good; I uh… quite liked it." Alice grabbed her coat out of her bag and shoved her arms into its sleeves. Jane still wasn't amused by the fact that Maura had invited Alice, but since the woman hadn't caused any trouble whatsoever, nor said a word during the session, she decided to at least try to play nice.

"Good. I hope you decide to sign up. It'd be nice to have another yoga partner." Maura replied before grabbing her keys out of her large purse.

"I'd love to stick around, but I should be heading home." Alice gave a brief nod before heading out the studio's door back to her navy blue Mustang sitting in the lot. Before Maura made it out the door however, Jane grabbed her by the shoulder, tugging her back inside the building.

"What happened to not inviting her?" Jane huffed, not exactly amused that Alice had joined them when she had asked Maura not to invite her.

"Jane, I only offered to be polite. I didn't think she would've considered actually coming out to a yoga class, with the way she was so uncaring about her nicotine habit. It's good for her, really."

"Let's just hope she doesn't show up on our time again, okay?"

"You sound incredulous about the entire ordeal. You two still haven't been getting along yet, have you?"

"No, that's why I don't want to have to deal with her off-duty too, Maura. So please, can we not invite her in to _our_ personal lives? Really." Maura let a small sigh escape her in defeat. Truthfully, she was hoping to get to know Alice, becoming friends so that she could know more about the Detroit native and act as a mediator between her and Jane.

"I was just being friendly. I didn't see a problem with that. We'll just take our yoga class an hour earlier, okay?"

"Ugh, eight is already too early." Jane whined, adjusting her hair's ponytail, stopping when she felt her phone vibrating in her bag. Grabbing it, she fumbled with it, tapping the 'talk' button. "Rizzoli. Oh. Oh alright. On my way." She hung up, looking rather disappointed. Not a day went by when cases weren't first thing in the morning on a Saturday.

"Got another case?"

"Yep. It's a messy one, they say."

"Ooh, even on your day off?"

"Comes with the job, Maura. You know that."

* * *

Stepping out of her cruiser, Jane had meanwhile changed into work clothes. She noticed Alice had already beaten her there, her Mustang parked off to the side by the police crime scene tape. She strode over to the front of Kitty O'Shea's Irish Pub on 131 State Street. A crowd had already built up even at half past nine in the morning on a Saturday. The sidewalks around were packed with people trying to get a good glance at the crime scene in front of the bar. Jane glanced around the area, hair blowing in the slight breeze. She caught sight of Frost, joined by Alice, who had also changed since the yoga classes earlier in the morning to her usual attire, and heavy coat for the chilly air. The skies were slightly overcast, the sun in the distance. The temperature had been forecasted to only be a high of 70 degrees Fahrenheit.

"What do we have?" Jane asked. Frost was standing to the side near the next set of shops, unable to look down at the body that Alice was so inquisitively staring down at while she was crouched.

"Well, by the looks of things, Detective Rizzoli, we have Irish mashed potatoes mixed with roast beef, with an ice pick as the primary serving utensil." Frost turned away again, looking pale in the face, and sick to his stomach. Jane peered around the officer standing in front of her, and glanced down at the victim. The man on the pavement in front of Kitty's was face down. Or rather, what was left of his face. His head had been split in the skull a third of the way down, covered in dark red blood, brain matter spilling out of the cavity. An ice pick was lodged in his neck just below his ear on the right side. Jane took a moment to regain her composure; she was glad she had yet to eat anything this morning.

* * *

"Jesus… where the hell did he come from?" She felt her jaw hang as she peered down to assess the damage. She hadn't seen a case quite like this in all of her years.

"Look up." Alice stood up; pointing up to the dark awning above them that had the bar's name and sign on it. "I'd say he fell from somewhere, hit the awning and then the pavement."

"Maura will tell us if that ice pick was stabbed in before he hit the ground."

"Isn't the ice pick traditional of the Irish mob?" Alice inquired, hand on her hip as she met the other detective's eyes.

"Yeah. Traditional to send a message. What better place than in front of an average Irish pub?"

"Does this guy have any identification?" Alice asked and Frost finally managed to turn back to the crime scene, still avoiding the bloody pulp of a human on the pavement.

"His name is Ewan Devlin, thirty-four. He's apparently a helicopter pilot for Channel 7 news."

"With a name like that," Alice pursed her lips in thought. "It really doesn't surprise me that he'd have mob connections."

"The autopsy will tell us more."

"Think he was pushed?" Alice inquired, glancing between them.

"Brought up to the roof of the building, stabbed for whatever reason, and then shoved to make a statement? It's possible." Jane replied, sighing. They had had numerous cases about the mob before, and for the entire time since she had seen the ice pick lodged in the victim's head, she couldn't help but to think of Paddy Doyle; Maura's biological father. She hoped this time he had nothing to do with this case, though her gut feeling was telling her otherwise.

* * *

"Let's see if we can get on top of this building." Frost suggested, heading around the block, the two women following him. Through an alleyway, they minded their footing and the dumpsters before coming to where there was a slightly rusty fire escape, still hanging down.

"Seems like this was used recently." Alice pointed out as Frost motioned for her to go first. Alice began to clamber up the stairs, Jane following closely behind.

"Probably for how they got him up here."

"They probably dumped the guy early in the morning before the sun came up. That's my guess." Alice panted as the trio soon got to the top of the structure, pausing to admire the view and catch their breaths. Alice then walked across the roof to peer over the edge above Kitty's bar, seeing the body on the pavement. "They definitely dropped him out from here."

"Any signs of a struggle, Frost?"

"None that I'm seeing."

"They probably stabbed him off location then." Jane affirmed, jacket blowing in the breeze caused from the change in height. She came up beside Alice, glancing down at the blood soaked awning of the Irish pub.

"Someone wanted to send a message. Big time."

* * *

"Male, aged 34, massive head trauma caused by a long drop, hitting the pavement at high speeds. A deep penetrating stab wound to the neck consistent with the use of an ice pick." Maura had already begun to process the latest victim by the time 11:30am had rolled around. It was quite the gruesome sight on her stainless steel table. Brain matter was still hanging out of his skull, and blood had collected all over his clothes, staining his dark green muscle shirt a deep burgundy. Maura had already removed the ice pick, sending it away to check for finger prints on the handle. "The victim was not robbed, nor injured anywhere else on his body. Head injury consistent with hitting the metal awning above the bar before hitting the concrete."

"Have you ever seen something so gory like this before?" Alice's voice called out as she walked into the morgue, causing Maura to turn calmly. She was donning her black scrubs, wearing the lab issued protective coats and face mask for when she had to crack the chest.

"Can't say I have, though it all depends on your definition of 'gory'. To some, any sign of blood or trauma is terrifying, where others, like myself, are not quite moved by a whole lot. You?" Alice leisurely meandered over to the table, seeing that Maura had begun to clean the man up already. From what she could see, the guy had been fairly decent looking, at least from what was left over of his face.

* * *

"Detroit had some pretty gruesome murders in my time there. Twelve gauge shotgun in an enclosed space. Had enough brain and blood matter on the ceiling that none was left in the woman's head. Uh, what else?" Alice's face scrunched up as she tried to recall her most disgusting cases back in her hometown. "I think the one that I'll still never get the image out of my head is the Dearborn Deformer. He took his victims, knew exactly what to do to keep them alive after crafting deformations into their faces and bodies, and then, he'd leave them, disoriented and left for dead out in the highways outside of Detroit at night to be hit like road kill."

"Oh, that's… disturbing." Maura continued to work, writing out her observations as well.

"Yeah, tell me about it. An old friend of mine, used to be a cop, he was murdered to the point of being nearly unrecognisable." She sighed sadly, picturing his face in her mind. "Matt had been trying to bring down the corporation that Wesker has for their medical experimentations. He had been so close to finding the right evidence to bring the Mega Corporation to trial, and then he wound up killed, and they left his body at the side of the highway. This had been before I became a cop myself… he was my best friend."

"I'm so sorry to hear about your friend. Was his case ever closed?"

"After this decade, they've deemed it as a cold case back in Detroit. Couldn't find evidence, couldn't find any traces of DNA, and it seemed quite like he had been in the back of a truck and dumped in the middle of the night on the freeway." Alice stuffed her hands in her trouser pockets, partly regretting bringing up old memories. The medical examiner nodded along as she tugged off her purple latex gloves, finishing up the report for Ewan Devlin.

* * *

"Well, if you choose to dig that case up, I wish you luck, Detective Abernathy." She stood before the taller woman. "What's the background on our victim?"

"He's clean really. Only had one charge of disorderly conduct a few years ago, but he did community service to make up for it instead of a charge, volunteering at a senior's home. After that, he got a job with the local news station to fly their primary helicopter in greater Boston. Nothing has come up about his family back home in Ireland, and nor does he have any family here. He probably got involved with one of the mob bosses, rubbed him the wrong way, and ended up dead."

"You're assuming that's what it is?"

"I'm going with my gut, Dr. Isles. Nothing else explains it. Do you know if there were finger prints on the ice pick?"

"Results came back a little while ago. There was nothing."

"Could be someone with burned off finger prints, someone who doesn't want to be identified." Alice paused, her phone beeping once, signalling a text. She took out her phone, glancing down at the tiny screen. "Frost says they've got a hit with the bar's security tapes. They think they've got our victim's face on camera. At least, what it used to look like."

* * *

Alice headed back to the office where Jane and Frost joined by Frankie were glancing at the six monitors in front of the brick wall. She panted, considering she had run up the stairs. If she smoked, she figured she'd still stay in shape somehow in her day to day life. "What… do we have?"

"Turns out, Ewan was at the bar of course, minding his own business. This was from two days ago." Frost played the first clip, showing a man with brown hair, worn jeans, and a clean shaven face sitting at the bar, chatting up the female bartender. Frost fast forwarded it a bit, then paused it when two surly men came in, older in age with white and greying hair, and took Ewan by the arms and started badgering him. He finally gave in and gave the cash he had in his pockets to them before they left. "He soon left after this, only to return the night he was murdered to be dragged away by the same men again. Six hours later, and we got the call."

"So, he made a deal or something, and didn't have the right amount of cash. When he still didn't have it the next night, they dragged him off to kill him." Alice stated, sitting at her desk as she began hastily looking up something on her computer. "These Irish mob bosses. Do any of them have a particular style? Or is this ice pick business universal? Several guys have come up. Paddy Doyle, John Flaherty, Ryan Finnegan… anyway to eliminate them from the list?" Jane tensed up upon hearing Paddy Doyle's name. As much as she didn't want him to be involved, for Maura's sake, they had no way of finding an alibi for him.

"Finnegan was arrested last week." Frost informed her. He glanced to his partner, knowing they had Maura to deal with if anything happened with Doyle.

"And the other two?" Alice pressed again, noting the glances between the other two. "What? Something you're hiding?"

"We'll find out about… Doyle. You see if Flaherty's involved. He typically does the work himself." Jane responded before heading off to the morgue, leaving Frost to ponder with Detective Abernathy. Jane had bigger things to worry about. She knew Maura wouldn't just ignore the ice pick connection, not after what had happened several months ago with the same ordeal, having the other mob bosses wanting her dead.

* * *

"Maura?" Jane called, glancing around the autopsy room, feeling a knot form in the pit of her stomach when she couldn't find her best friend right away. She went to her office, knocking on the door.

"Come in." Maura's calm voice called out. When Jane heard it, she felt relief wash through her system. She walked in, and sat down in one of the chairs opposite to Maura's desk. The blonde glanced up, and a smile filled her face. "Jane. I heard there was a slight break in the case."

"Sort of. Nailed down the when, the where, and the why. But that's not why I came down to talk."

"You're worried… about Doyle, aren't you?"

"How did you know?" Jane's brows knitted together as she leaned forward on Maura's ornate desk. Maura too leaned forward, speaking in a soft tone of voice.

"I knew when there was an ice pick involved that you would automatically be thinking about what happened last time. I thought about it too, Jane. And, as much as I almost want him to be arrested for the monster that he is, I really don't think it's him."

"What?"

"He wouldn't want to get involved, not so soon after the last case. It's only been three months. Another appearance in such a short period of time since Tommy Rourke was murdered would almost grant him a way to get arrested easily." She ran a hand through her blonde locks, leaving her hands on the desk. Jane reached forward, and took both of them in her own.

"Maura, whatever happens, you'll be protected. _I'll _protect you, I promise. If you think it wasn't Doyle, I'll trust you. We'll look into Flaherty above all." She gave Maura's fine hands a squeeze beneath her fingers, allowing her gaze to linger. Maura knew Jane meant what she said, and could tell just by looking at her best friend that she knew Jane would do anything for her.

* * *

Jane had come back to the office a half hour or so later, munching on a granola bar as she set Frost and Alice to work, digging up anything that could lead them as to which mob boss had tossed Ewan Devlin off the building. Alice kept to herself, reading over case files, and noted that John Flaherty had a reputation to uphold about the way he disposed of bodies, tossing them in rivers, alleys, and off buildings with no care for how they were presented. She too had looked up Doyle, out of curiosity, and noted that his victims had been all bad guys, those that he considered had deserved it. The dirty blonde continued doing her research, and her gut was telling her all the signs lead to Flaherty. At one point, Frost had left the two women alone in their work, going off for his own mid-afternoon lunch break. Alice had let her mind drift, out of boredom, and was checking her other personal accounts, particularly for emails. A ding suddenly came up on Alice's computer, and arching a brow, she clicked on the notification from the website she was on, besides writing up her notes for the case by hand. Sipping on her glass of water, she cast a glance over to Jane's desk, chuckling under her breath as her eyes went back to the page that she was on. After all this time of working with the other detective, she figured another personal detail wouldn't hurt to go shared between them. Though this detail she thought was perhaps a tad too personal to be shared within the first two weeks of working together, she still could not resist. It was simply too good not to, only confirming Alice's suspicions about the other female detective.

* * *

Smirking to herself, Alice waited until Jane finished organising with the papers on her desk, closing the manila folder with a sigh. It had been a long, tedious afternoon of going through Paddy Doyle's case file; all while thinking of Maura and her safety.

"I never knew you had a lesbian dating profile on this site." Alice stated nonchalantly out of the blue, watching Jane's reaction go from her work to her surprised and wide-eyed face. She had not expected that from the other detective who had been quiet during the entire duration of the afternoon.

"Well I never knew you did either." Jane shot back instantly, wondering why that had suddenly come up, and why Alice was the one bringing it up to her.

"You really couldn't tell?" Alice asked skeptically, legitimately surprised that the Italian-descended woman had not even proposed the thought to herself. Jane shot her another glance after tilting her head to the side, one eyebrow arching higher than its twin.

"That you're… gay?"

"Yeah." Alice chuckled deeper now, realising how this had just unfolded, and that Jane seemed relatively interested in listening to her. "I'm surprised really, that your 'gaydar' didn't go off. I mean, mine did for you the minute we met, but that's beside the point."

"I'm not a lesbian!" Jane exclaimed, rubbing her forehead. "That profile was made for an undercover operation when we had a murder at a lesbian bar. We used it to get me a few dates at the club while Maura acted as a barmaid and collected the glasses of each date to get a DNA sample. We ended up finding out the wife of the victim had an affair with the bartender, and killed the wife through poisoning her insulin pump, and convinced the bartender to hit her over the head with a two by four."

"Oh, well. Still, you really didn't pick the right type for you. Sporty?" Alice gave her another look as she read the details on her screen, smirk still going strong. "Really?"

"Maura filled it out, not me." Jane argued back. "I'll have to get her to delete that. And what are you doing on that site right now anyway?"

"What do _you_ think, Rizzoli?" Alice rolled her eyes, turning back in her chair to face her screen fully. "Checking my email and it just came up. Besides, don't worry about it. You're not my type anyway."

"You have a type?"

"Of course." Alice smiled, mainly to herself. "Everyone has a type. Mine happens to be kind of all over the place. Haven't had enough time or experience to really narrow it down. You're too much like me to be of any interest or attraction for that matter." She snickered some more, closing the site after not finding much of interest to her own personal benefit. "I think I can tell who would be your type though."

"What do – Oh really? What type would that be?" Jane demanded, crossing her arms. This was all too interesting now._ Just who does Alice think she is?_ Jane thought, waiting for Abernathy's answer.

"For women anyway, if you ever decided to go for one, would be the green-eyed and honey-blonde type. Smart, educated, trustworthy…" Alice began listing off the visible traits that she could, thinking of one woman in particular that she had noticed too many vibes between her and Jane together.

"Abernathy, just what the hell are you getting at?" Jane retorted again, moving to get out of her wheeling chair, but soon stopped herself when Frost walked back in to the office after his hour long lunch.

"We got good news from the security feed from the building across the street. Turns out, it proved that Doyle's not involved. It's John Flaherty's work. Time to go bring him in. C'mon."

* * *

Fiddling with her gun of choice, a SIG Sauer with .45 ACP rounds, Alice and the others had gone to a south district location warehouse. It was slowly becoming darker, with the sun setting in the sky. The SWAT team had been moved in ahead of them, after Jane, Frost, and Alice were fitted with bullet proof vests just in case anything went haywire. Jane stood with her Glock 19 poised and ready to head in. Somewhere in this place, they knew a stint was going down with Flaherty and his army of men. They knew it could have the potential to be a blood bath. Alice however, was determined to bring this guy down regardless. As the three SWAT members went ahead of them, Alice was next in, followed closely by Jane and Frost, both glancing around the dark warehouse. It of course, had no lights on, and soon the detectives noted that it was much like a hedge maze, made with shipping crates and boxes of all sizes, shapes, and variety. Alice then went on to the right where the SWAT men had gone left. Frost followed them, while Jane came up on her six.

Continuing on, Alice held her pistol and flashlight out, leaning up against one of the crate, silently motioning for Jane to walk ahead across the open alleyway while Alice held a spot to cover the brunette. Jane nodded, proceeding carefully. The warehouse was quite huge, footsteps echoing in the distance. Alice felt the hairs on the back of her neck standing up. Something just wasn't right between these crates. Someone was nearby. She held her breath as Jane took cover in the corner, and began to proceed to join her fellow detective, edging around the corner first. The same happenings proceeded for much of the warehouse, the same occurring with the SWAT men and Frost on the other side, hoping to meet up in the next section or next warehouse if they had to. At another large intersection of crates, the corner blinded by a rusting yellow shipping crate, Alice began to move around it, gun out first. Suddenly, even with her bullet proof vest, she felt a sharp metal sting slice through her skin, not once but twice as she screamed out in surprise. Jane was soon to see the assailant trying to stab the blonde again with another ice pick, but before he could, and without hesitation, she fired her weapon with adrenaline fueled accuracy, hitting the man in his shoulder once, and then his neck with the other, her flash light illuminating Alice's pained face as blood spewed out from under her vest and clothes. She soon fell down to the concrete with a thud, her gun clattering as she dropped the heavy .45 calibre handgun. It skittered under one of the many shelves of boxes. Jane yelled into her radio. "Gunshots fired! Watch out for more!" She glanced around, seeing another man down the aisle; she fired at him before he could get to her, Alice lying motionless at her feet, groaning in pain. The other SWAT team soon moved in, storming through the warehouse at the command, and multiple shots were fired, echoing in the warehouse, until at long last, John Flaherty, knowing he was surrounded, surrendered himself.

Jane then crouched down to where Alice had fallen to the concrete floor, seeing a pool of blood already forming at her feet. Alice's face was messed up in a pained expression, stuck lying awkwardly on her left side, the handle of the ice pick sticking out of her right shoulder, stuck under the bullet proof vest. Alice's pale eyes were wide with fear and panic, whimpering when she saw Jane crouch down beside her, the flashlight beaming over her. Jane fumbled for her radio with shaky hands before calling into it. "Officer down! I repeat, we've got an officer down!"


	7. Recovery

**A/N: Sorry for the wait on this one! It's been blistering hot here, to the point that I feel like doing nothing but sit in front of the vent and let the air conditioning run. Anyway, after writing this, I realised Chapter 7 needed to be in two parts in order to split up the length as well as a time gap. This is Part I, and I hope you enjoy as always. Read, Review, love.**

**To the anon who suggested the idea of having a Dr. Redfield, let it be known that I thought of that idea quite deeply. Seriously. If I hadn't had an idea for this already written, I might've considered it. Anyway, enjoy.**

* * *

**Chapter Seven –Part I: Recovery**

_"Alice, come on, don't do this, stay awake! You hear me? You stay awake!" Jane's throaty and hoarse voice came to Alice's ears, sounding like she was trapped under water. She managed to open her eyes again with great effort, straining her brain to do the minor action. She felt warm pressure on her right shoulder; Jane's hands, she figured. She could feel the hot blood dribbling down her front, staining her shirt, and trousers, drying against her skin beneath and down the open part of her top. Her breaths became more rapid, chest rising quickly as the shock kicked in. Jane hovered above her on the left, but all Alice could see was her dark form, the flash light pointed up at her arm. "Alice! Stay with me! You are not dying out here, understand me? C'mon!"_

* * *

The artificial light of the room stung Alice's eyes when she opened them, her vision still blurry. Everything was white; the lights, the walls, the ceiling. It took her brain and a few more blinks to clear her eyesight. She felt a dry metallic taste in her mouth, her tongue stuck behind her teeth. Her throat felt parched, and there was quite the throb of pain coming from her right shoulder. She managed to move her neck, stiff as it was, and glanced around the room, realising she was in a hospital intensive care unit room. She turned her head the other way, the whir of the heart monitor she was hooked up to beeping steadily. She saw the doorway, and then the chairs of the room to see a bob cut brunette leaning against the arm of the chair, her chin in her hand, jaw hanging as she softly snored. Next to her, was a young girl, no more than ten, curled up against the woman, sound asleep. Alice attempted to smile to herself when she saw the two together.

* * *

Shortly after she first woke, unable to tell the time due to the curtains being drawn in the window, and the lights in the room being on inside, a doctor and a few nurses came by to take her stats, rousing the woman and the girl from their sleep. Alice figured it was late at night or in the middle of the early morning. When the doctor was finished, she left them alone, her team of nurses and interns following. The brunette woman walked over to the bed with her arm over the girl's shoulders, and Alice's smile grew.

"Hey," She rasped out in a whisper. "How's my girl doin'?"

"I'm fine, mama. You still look hurt though."

"Eh, it's not that bad. I've had worse, baby girl." Alice reached with her left hand to ruffle the girl's thick, and curly brown hair. "Izzie, how about you ask one of those nurses to get me a glass of water from their station, huh?"

"Okay," The girl smiled a toothy grin, leaning in to Alice's touch before turning around to leave the room briefly across the hallway to said nurse's station. Alice glanced up at the gray eyed woman before her.

"It's not fun, getting these calls, Alice. This is the third time in the past eight years. Two gunshots, and now an ice pick? And I thought I had it rough actually being on a task force."

"Jill, I had no idea some guy was gonna come outta the shadows and nick me with a fuckin' ice pick. Hell, if Rizzoli had gone first, she would've gotten it the same. You know how it is." Alice hissed stubbornly. She would've crossed her arms had her right arm not been in a sling.

"Next time," Jill paused, leaning down a little. "You should invest in some shoulder pads."

"Like your ugly heinous ass ones? I don't think so. In homicide, we have a fashion sense."

"Enough to almost get you killed?" Jill put her hand on Alice's good shoulder, giving it a squeeze. She suddenly straightened up when she heard someone clearing their throat, announcing their entrance.

* * *

"Oh, am I interrupting something?" Jane's familiar voice called out, as she stood, hands in her trouser pockets. She glanced between Alice and the other woman, and put two and two together, noting how close the two were standing together, and the subtle, yet somewhat intimate touches. Jill however, stepped back from Alice, just as Izzie had come in from the door, excusing her way past the other officer. Jane furrowed her brows between them, and then smiled when she started piecing it all together. She tilted her head towards the girl who sat down on the foot of Alice's bed, handing her a glass of water which she drank right away. Alice smiled a little, and then nodded, silently answering Jane's inquisition.

"Detective, guess I should thank you for saving my life out there." Jane took Alice's words as invitation to step into the room, glancing between the three other females before her.

"It's part of the job. Standing up for each other, watching each other's backs. And for Christ's sake, call me Jane. I think at this point, we can put our differences aside."

"Still." Alice reached over and drew Izzie close to her. "You would've left my little girl without her mother, and her godmother here wouldn't have been pleased."

"Come on, Alice, you knew from the day you asked me, that I could take care of her if anything ever happened to your sorry ass behind."

"You… have a daughter?" Jane glanced between the pair, now seeing the similarities between the girl and the detective, including the same eye colour and facial structure.

"I did say I was divorced." Alice responded gently, holding her daughter close as she nuzzled up to her mama in the nook of her left shoulder.

"You never…"

"I know. Personal business. Usually I don't share with a lot of people until I know them well enough to be trusted."

"Yeah, she never told me she was pregnant even until it was obvious at the four month mark, and I'm one of her best friends." Jill added, stepping forward with a hand out to greet the much taller detective. "Officer Jill Valentine, Raccoon City Police Department, S.T.A.R.S. unit."

"Detective Jane Rizzoli, homicide."

"It's a pleasure. And uh, again, thanks for keeping Alice alive. Surprisingly, I think I would've missed her."

"If I was able to throw something at you, _Jillian_, I would."

"I thought you were a lefty." Jill teased in reply, glancing back to Jane. "If you'll excuse me, I'll be right back."

"Little preoccupied with that one arm." She rolled her eyes playfully, glancing down at Izzie who had started to giggle.

"You and Auntie Jill are so funny together." She mumbled against Alice's neck, and now that she had her daughter in her arms, she felt content, even after surviving the stabbing. Jane caught the older woman's gaze, and noticed a twinkle in her eyes; one she had never seen before, one of happiness, and life. It was something that made Jane realise that there was way more to Alice Abernathy than she had ever imagined.

* * *

"You think so, sweetheart?" Izzie nodded her answer, her smile never once leaving her face. Jane stood back, leaning against the wall to give the mother and daughter their space.

"I never thought you'd be this much of a softie, Alice." Jane commented, grinning. Alice knew she was only lightheartedly teasing her for her usually stubborn and hard personality at work.

"I protect and love those that are close to me," Alice drew out. "As I'm sure you would too." Jane found herself nodding her head along to Alice's statement. It was all too true. Ma, Frankie, Tommy, Pops, Maura… for them, Jane would give it all.

"Well, Lieutenant Cavanaugh is giving you as much time as the doctors prescribed you to take paid leave until you're healed. He also said you'll be getting a new rookie partner upon your return."

"Oh yeah? Do you know who it is yet?"

"No," Jane replied, "Though I'm hoping Frankie can finally get his golden badge. You two would get along, I think."

"Well, either way, I hope to be back sooner rather than later. Thanks for stopping by." Jane stepped forward once more, putting her hand on Alice's good shoulder, giving it a squeeze gently.

"Of course, and," Jane bent down from her tall height of five foot ten, and crouched to meet Izzie's curious and innocent gaze. "It was nice to meet you too, Izzie." Jane offered her hand to the young girl, and she automatically took it and shook it back.

"Nice to meet you too," She said softly, letting go of Jane's hand. Rizzoli then gave one final smile, passing Jill in the doorway before saying goodbye, at last, heading home after waiting for her fellow detective to wake from her surgery.

* * *

"Well, Izzie, I think you should go back to sleep." Jill stated. "It's a little more than three in the morning, and you still have school in the afternoon to go to, Missy."

"Okay," Izzie sighed a little, nuzzling her mother's neck.

"We can talk more in the morning, hun." Alice told her, moving her arm back so Izzie could slide out of the bed, and go to the somewhat comfy chairs in the room. Jill gave her a dark grey blanket she had gotten from one of the nurses, and took off her own sweater to serve as a pillow as the ten year old curled up, closing her eyes. Jill waited until she knew the poor girl had fallen asleep before going over to Alice's bedside, sitting on the edge. She was left in just her blue workout tee shirt and jeans.

"She seems like a nice enough person, more than what you let on about."

"Who, Jane? Yeah. Having my life saved changes my opinion, I'd say. She's like me; that's why we butted heads. Stubborn, fierce…"

"You sound… interested." Jill teased, prodding to find out more about the details of Alice's personal life.

"In her?" Alice shook her head. "No, nooo. Not my type. Definitely, not my type."

"Really? Because what kind of type do you have when it comes to women? I've only seen you go on three dates since Spence, and none of them were really consistent when it came to so called 'types'." Jill pointed out, folding her arms against her chest.

"There was Rain." Alice pointed out, thinking back to her Latina ex-girlfriend.

"Oh yeah, because that went over so well. You had what, four months' worth of dates, and when she found out you had a kid, she bailed?"

"Give her five years, she would've come back."

"It's been more than that. And I definitely think you should point out that you have a child to start off with instead of waiting for that moment when they want to stay over at your place, and I'm not around to babysit." Jill pointed out, hand resting on Alice's knee above the covers. "For once, it'd be nice for you to find someone who makes you happy, who wants to be around you and Izzie both. A family oriented person."

"Well, there's always you." Alice smirked, feeling a sting of pain in her right shoulder. She only let out a soft grunt, but continued on. "I mean, really, you basically fit what you just described to me."

"Alice, if I had any interest in women, you would be the first person to know." The brunette replied softly, letting out a small yawn from her lips.

"Well, if you ever change your mind," Alice laughed, stopping a few seconds later when she realised the wound in her torso hurt quite a lot when she did. "Bad idea," She grumbled. "Don't make me laugh again."

"I'll try not to. You should get some rest, so should I." Jill then left the bedside, and tugged over another chair, sitting down in it to sleep. It felt good to have those closest to Alice be around her, willing to be there to offer moral support and company. It felt good as well to have made amends with Jane; Alice was sure it would improve her work experience when she returned. As Alice let exhaustion take over her body yet again, eyes falling shut as she watched Jill and Izzie from her hospital bed, both curled up, and out of it, Alice eventually fell asleep with a smile stuck on her face.

* * *

_Darkness filled the empty streets of downtown Detroit, late at night between the hours of four and five in the morning, late fall. Chilly, foggy deadness surrounded the neighbourhood. Alice stood in the street, .45 calibre pistols in her hand, though she was dressed in street clothes; jeans and a baggy grey tee shirt that reached past her thighs. She heard a noise, a deep resonating thud, like something that sounds when someone drops a heavy hard covered book unto a wooden floor. She spun around, pavement wet beneath her heels, the street lights down the way illuminating everything under and eerie orange colour, that lingered on the fog. She took a few paces, and then, another sickening crunch sounded before her, a mass of warmth landing at her feet. She peered down at it to only realise that the bloody corpse of a man at her feet was Matt, wearing his favourite once blue button up shirt, and dress trousers. She panicked, whipping the guns around, firing shots off into the air, not sure what she was trying to accomplish, or what enemy she was trying to hunt. The echoing of footsteps caused her to spin around, nearly tripping over Matt before feeling the same searing pain of metal slicing skin into her right shoulder. She screamed for help, but no help was there to be sent to her…_

Alice woke with a jolting start, body in a cold sweat, even though she was just in a polka dot hospital gown beneath the sheets. She had jumped to the point where her shoulder began to throb. She noticed too that Jill had already left with Izzie to take her to school for a half day as it was nearly the afternoon. She reached for the cup of water on the bedside table, and drank the remaining mouthful. She shook the dream off, and soon laid back into her pillows. She prayed in her head silently that she wouldn't get the same reoccurring nightmare during her recovery period; it was one more thing to think about, unearthing Matt Addison's cold case file.

* * *

When Jill returned with lunch for the pair of them, Alice figured it was time, now that she was more aware, to dig into her best friend's personal life. "So, how's work going for you?" Alice asked as she was handed a sub-sandwich. Jill tugged the chair over to share the space of the table that was on wheels over the middle of Alice's bed.

"It's fine, really. Nothing out of the ordinary."

"So what is it that you do again?" Alice said between mouthfuls. She had been starving ever since she had woken up twelve hours ago.

"Special tactics and rescue service. Established in Raccoon for anti-terrorism and anti-drugs." Jill stated. She was sure she had explained this to Alice several times, but the woman hardly remembered anything.

"Ah. So a bunch of elitists. I see." Alice chuckled, knowing Jill understood her teasing. It was how they were as friends; always trying to better the other at a game of wit.

"It pays well. Probably better than homicide."

"You have more time to work more hours, being Miss Single and Free."

"Hey, be grateful for that. Otherwise, who'd be taking care of Izzie in instances like this?"

"Some teenage babysitter probably. That's all I can afford now that I think about it."

"Alice, seriously? You're not that broke."

"Not yet." Alice continued to eat her sandwich. "Did you make this yourself?"

"If you make another sandwich joke, I swear to God, Alice, I will not hesitate to kick your ass." Jill threatened, grey eyes alight. She had changed since she had dropped Izzie off at her school, wearing a skirt and a blue halter top.

"So, I take it, Barry still teases you about that at work?" Alice asked, finishing off the first half of her lunch, sipping down half a bottle of water to wash it down.

"Ugh. He does. And so does everyone else. That and the fact that I was able to pick a lock into the main office when the Lieutenant forgot his keys. They call me 'The Master of Unlocking', Alice. Seriously." Alice nearly choked on the next bite of her sandwich because she started laughing so hard. Jill reached over and hit Alice's knee with the bottom of her hand, causing the blonde to shift under the covers.

"Ow!" Alice yelped, but then continued to laugh. "Master. Of. Unlocking. Oh my God… how do you even work with that guy?"

"He's friendly, he just... anyway, point is, work is fine." Jill answered Alice properly at last, sitting back to enjoy her drink.

"And? How's your life at _home_?" Alice persisted, wanting to dig out new dirt. "Any new boyfriends? Hrm? What about that guy, uh… Chris?"

"Alice, no. I… I don't like that guy in that way. Sure, we're partners, but that's it."

"Oooh, 'partners'. Sure. I'll believe that when I don't see it." Alice teased, knowing she was going to annoy the heck out of Jill while she was in Boston visiting and taking care of Izzie while she was in the hospital for the next few months recovering.

"You better watch it. Just because you're in a hospital bed, does not mean that I won't kick your ass!"

"I'd like to see you try!"


	8. All in a Name

**A/N: Here's the other part of Chapter 7! There is a bit of a time jump from Alice's recovery in order to see our girl back in action. **

**Warning, this chapter lives up to why this fic is rated M with its gratuitousness. That is all. **

**Also, I was quite inspired by Halestorm's cover of The Beatles' 'I Want You (She's so Heavy)' cover. I'd suggest you go check it out!**

* * *

**Chapter Seven – Part II: All in a Name**

_Three Months Later… _

"The day before you're supposed to be heading back to work, and you're sittin' here drinkin'?" Joe the bartender shook his head at the blonde detective he had gotten to know since she moved to Boston a few months ago. Alice sipped on her beer casually.

"What can I say? I like to celebrate." She grinned over the edge of the brown bottle. She was right up at the bar, perched on the stool. She felt good, now that she had been given clearance to go back to doing the job she loved, and with the slight alcohol in her system, she felt even better.

"Take it easy, Alice." Joe warned before going off to serve someone else. Alice chuckled, twirling the chilled bottle between her fingers. She glanced up, watching the Red Sox game. They were winning by a mile, ten to five against the New York Yankees, and she heard more cheers when one of the big hitters scored them another run. One of the cheerers she heard was the all too familiar raspy voice of Jane Rizzoli. Alice slowly got off her stool, and walked over to the booth where Jane was sitting. She saw another bag in the booth seat across from the detective, clearly knowing that it was one of Maura's expensive fashionable ones.

* * *

"Alice, it's good to see you out." Jane smiled up at the blonde who was standing before her table. Alice was wearing a burgundy button down shirt, the sleeves cutting off just past the elbows. She had her hair quite curled, more than usual. "You're looking great after three months off."

"What can I say? I'm just that good." Alice winked, laughing as she teased her fellow detective. "You and the doc out for another night of drinks?"

"Yeah, we just cracked another hard case today. Put another bastard behind bars. So, I heard you're coming back tomorrow."

"Yep, bright and early."

"How's Izzie doing?" Jane asked kindly, shifting over in her seat to allow Alice to sit down. The blonde did slowly, minding her right shoulder that was still a little sensitive and stiff at times.

"Izzie's good. Jill's watching her tonight, letting me have some time to myself before I go back to work, and for the two of them to spend time together before Jill goes back to Raccoon City." Alice answered, sipping more beer as she glanced around the bar, hearing the bell above the door ring, signifying more customers were coming in. It was only 9:30pm; the night was still quite young.

* * *

After another few minutes, Maura walked back across the bar from the women's bathroom. She too was glad to see Alice after her incident on the case with the Irish mob. "It's really good to see you. I take it that you're feeling a lot better."

"From being stabbed by an ice pick? Yeah. And let it be said, I am glad I'm a lefty." Alice laughed, and Jane joined in as she drank her own beer.

"I bet you are." Jane shot back with a snarky grin, shooting the woman a semisultry glance.

"Anyway, I won't uh... continue to third wheel your date. See you tomorrow." Alice excused herself, getting a slight poke in the ribs from Jane as she got out of the booth. Alice went back to the bar counter, sitting at her place once more. She ordered another bottle of beer, noticing someone had taken the stool next to hers. Shifting in her grey trousers, she turned her head, smiling softly as she noted the woman next to her was preoccupied with watching the Sox game.

* * *

"Some game, huh? First big win of the season, and we beat the Yanks." Alice stated, receiving her second drink from Joe. She was already feeling more like someone from Boston now that she had spent four months in town, cheering for their national baseball team. The woman turned back to the voice that spoke to her. Alice was barely able to contain her smile. The woman before her not only had quite the figure, but a pretty face to go with it. She was a redhead, with hair down her back in slight waves, her face tan, and eyes green like most of the décor in the Dirty Robber. She was quite the looker.

"Never really a fan of baseball precisely; softball's more my thing." The woman held a smirk of her own, sipping a dark liquid from a glass. "If you know what I mean." Alice let her gaze drift only for a second, glancing the woman over. She was wearing dark jeans that fit her curved figure, and a white tank top, showing off slightly toned arms that were leaning on the bar counter.

"Oh, I think I do." Alice replied softly, leaning a tad closer to the woman. "Let me buy you another drink. What do you take? Whiskey?"

"Rum, actually." She corrected Alice before sliding her now empty glass so the bartender could take it. "If you'd like to."

"I would. One more rum here for the lady." Joe nodded, and soon, another glass of rum was ahead of the redhead, who took it, and casually sipped on it, holding it in her left hand while she leaned on her right arm.

"So, do you live around here?"

"Sort of. Ten minute drive. Been here for a few months. Yourself?"

"Right around the corner actually." The woman replied, her eyes meeting Alice's blue ones, the gaze lingering for quite some time. The baseball game had finally been over, and a lot of people had slowly moved out. Others began to come in as the music began playing over the sound system with an upbeat electronic sounding song. Alice took a deep swig of her second beer, never leaving the woman's gaze. "It's quite…" The woman set down her glass and then shifted closer, her left hand falling on Alice's taut thigh, trickling her fingers against the fabric of her pants. Alice's brow shot up as she finished her beer in one go, definitely feeling a buzz in her system. The redhead continued the bravado-influenced motion, only bringing her hand up a little farther before pulling away. "Handy…"

* * *

"Well, I'm happy to see that Alice is coming back. I'm surprised there wasn't more nerve damage to her shoulder." Maura pointed out, casually sipping on her favourite red wine offered at the Robber. Jane's stare however was not focused on her best friend, but rather the scene that was unfolding before her at the front of the bar. "Jane? Jane, are you even listening?"

"I- er… yeah. Sorry." Jane turned her head back to face Maura. "Seems Abernathy's getting quite the welcome back night after all." She tilted her head to the bar, and without causing too much fuss, Maura glanced over her shoulder to the bar counter. She arched one brow, tilting her head.

"I didn't know Alice had an attraction towards the same sex."

"You do now." Jane replied. "She told me a long time ago actually, when she found my lesbian dating profile." Maura snapped her head back to face Jane.

"Is there something you're not telling me, Jane?"

"No! No! It's not like that. It's the one from that case from ages ago where we went undercover. I need you take it down. Please."

"Certainly. I'll try to remember how to log in to it." Maura chuckled a little, reaching across the table to pat Jane's arm. "If you're sure."

"Maura, really?"

"There's nothing wrong with being interested in the fairer sex, even if it's slight curiosity. Studies show that women are more likely to experiment with the same sex more than men in their lifetimes, and -"

"Maura!"

* * *

"So," Alice whispered, leaning into the redhead's personal space to speak directly in her ear. "Why don't you tell me your name? Makes things a lot easier…"

"Why don't you come back to my place first?" The redhead teased, salaciously licking her lips, rum still on her tongue.

"It makes it a lot easier to scream out later…" Alice replied flirtatiously, voice lowered by an octave when she whispered. The pair had been inching towards each other for quite some time, though nothing had come out of it. Yet.

"Tell me yours first." The redhead challenged haughtily.

"Make me." Alice growled under her breath, and again, she felt the other woman's hand on her thigh. It moved much farther up her leg than the last time, brushing across the crotch of her pants. She stiffened slightly, and then without another word and a wink, the redhead got up, leaving money for the bartender, heading for the door. Alice bit her lip, debating inwardly with herself before paying up her due to the bartender. She hurriedly followed the woman out of The Dirty Robber, not noticing Jane's curious stare from across the room. Her mind was far too preoccupied to pay any mind to anyone else.

* * *

Following the woman outside, Alice saw her turn the corner down the street from the bar, and even amidst her drunken state, managed to pick up the pace to follow her. The charade went on until she got to the next red bricked apartment complex. At least she hadn't been lying when she said she literally lived around the corner from the bar. The woman had stopped at the door to get herself buzzed in, allowing Alice to catch up with her, slightly out of breath. The silence continued as the other woman trekked up two flights of stairs, and fumbled with her keys to open the heavy door. Once in, Alice followed eagerly, and the second the door was shut and locked behind them, the woman came on to Alice, lips crushing together. The redhead was a tad shorter than she was, and Alice had to lean down to return the kiss. Slightly drunk, and slightly off coordination, Alice stumbled back against the wall, a low growl escaping her lips.

"Tell me your name…" She panted, and the woman planted several kisses up Alice's jawline to her ear.

"Claire…" The name rolled off her tongue with ease, and Alice turned to meet her gaze.

"Alice." She responded, smirking for a moment before navigating the way around Claire's dark apartment, led by the hand to her living room. Claire fell onto the couch, dragging Alice with her.

* * *

Another kiss was met between the pair, heat growing between the women as lips clashed, fighting for dominance as tongues came out. Alice let her primal instincts take over, her deft hands finding their way under Claire's white tank top, feeling a flat stomach beneath her palms, up to a thick padded bra. She slid her hands around, trying to grab the clasp. Claire fought against the grip, and instead, slid off her shirt. She reached for the buttons on Alice's burgundy dress shirt, struggling not to tear the things right off. Alice chuckled under her breath, helping Claire out, straddling her thighs. "Loosen up my buttons, babe… "

"I'll try my best, gorgeous…" Claire continued undoing the buttons until finally she freed the blonde from her shirt, tossing it to the floor. Alice hovered above the redhead, now moving to her hands and knees, her necklace hanging down between the slopes of her breasts. Claire reached around behind her slim frame, and while they were lip locked, she removed Alice of her bra, freeing her small breasts. Alice did the same thing, tugging Claire up into her arms. A pair of moans sounded as bare flesh collided together for the first time as lips continuously merged. Alice felt heat grow throughout her core and stomach, and it wasn't just from the alcohol anymore.

* * *

Pulling back only an inch to gasp for air, Alice met Claire's fluid green eyes in the dark again. "You're experienced, I can tell…"

"With those hands of yours, I wouldn't doubt it about you either." Claire whispered, sliding her own hands down Alice's front, feeling every curve, every indent of her lithe frame, getting to the belt of her trousers. Meticulously, she undid it, making a show of every action she pulled. Alice moved herself so that she could slide out of them, already working with the button of Claire's jeans. When both had rid themselves of all clothing, they returned to their positions against each other sitting up, lips ferociously colliding again, tongues slithering across them.

"I want you," Alice breathed into Claire's ear again, nipping at the earlobe. "So bad, babe."

"Take me then," Claire responded, pressing her hips forward into Alice's, causing the blonde to groan. "Take me all the way home." Alice moaned in response as she moved her left hand down, gripping at Claire's tight thigh, moving across the apex to in between her legs, sliding two slender fingers between the woman's dripping core, never letting eye contact be broken. Claire let out a soft gasp when she felt the blonde enter her for the first time. She began to slowly grind her pelvis forward, a steady pace at most. When Claire had established the rhythm, she too adjusted herself so she could reach the other woman, rubbing her thighs and clit before moving inside of Alice. Both began moving in tandem, the smells of sweat and sex filling the small living room. Alice ignored the slight tenderness in her right shoulder where her wound had once been from the ice pick, and continued to hold the other woman close with her right hand placed conveniently on her hip. Alice pressed herself as close she could go against Claire, kissing down her jaw line right down her neck, leaving quite the mark when she bit down, teasing the skin. The pleasure grew between them, sweat sheening over both bodies as they continued love-making, moving against the other, rocking the couch. It was only until both had succumbed to eager climax many times over that the pair finally collapsed from exhaustion, too tired and too drunk to continue on past two in the morning.


	9. The Morning After

**A/N: Two chapters in one day? Yep. I had this one mostly written in advance as well. To any Grey's Anatomy fans, I hope you appreciate the scene that was used in Episode One: A Hard Day's Night in this chapter. I felt it was highly appropriate to toss into this story, and it provides for an interesting read. **

**Also, to Tina, thank you for the lovely reviews, I hope you enjoy this chapter as well as everyone else.**

**Also, for Alice's outfit for this chapter, and the last, check the link to my tumblr here for the post.. Just put dots between the name, tumblr, and com and you should be all set. (I used Saints Row and made Alice there. Heh.)**

lexxxieavelar tumblr com/post/26725990261/the-ideal-visual-i-had-for-detective-alice

**Anyway, enjoy!**

* * *

**Chapter Eight: The Morning After**

Claire slowly stirred from sleep, waking up dry mouthed, and slightly sore. She was face down on her old brown couch, auburn hair in quite the messy array. The young woman slowly peeled herself away from the material cushions and swung her legs over the edge, her feet hitting the cold wooden floor. She grabbed a pillow from the corner of the couch, and reaching down; she grabbed the blanket off the woman she had slept with the night before, dropping the pillow on her backside instead before wrapping the blanket around her own body like a towel.

Alice stirred slightly, feeling something hit her in the ass, and glanced up slowly, her hangover headache already starting. She blinked, seeing the bare legs and feet of the redheaded woman before her as she began tossing Alice's clothes onto the couch. She reached forward, finding the red bra that was not hers, holding it up. "This is uh…" She rasped out, blue eyes squinting in the sunlight coming in from the windows.

"Humiliating on so many levels. " Claire replied, taking it as she walked passed Alice to the other side of the couch. "You have to go." Alice's brows furrowed as she rolled over, still stark naked on the floor.

"Why don't you just come back here, and we'll pick up where we left off last night, huh?" She smirked a little, licking her lips salaciously.

"No, seriously. You have to leave. I'm gonna be late for my first day, and I can't be late. So…" The redhead sighed. Alice slowly stood up, sliding her burgundy button up shirt on without doing up more than two of the buttons to start off. Her hair was quite the surly mess, hanging in messy blonde curls in her face.

"So you uh… actually live in this place?" Alice glanced around to the well furbished apartment.

"Er, no. Well yes. It's my brother's place."

"Oh…" Alice bit her lip awkwardly. "Where's he?"

"He lives in another state."

"Oh…" Alice began sliding her grey trousers on, fiddling with the belt. "Have you uh... heard from him?"

"Uh, yes. Off and on. Look, we don't have to do this." Claire replied, glancing at the wall clock. "The thing…"

"Oh we can uh, do anything you want."

"No, the thing where you exchange the details, pretend we care… look, I'm going to go take a shower, and when I get back, you won't be here, okay? So um…" Claire paused, green eyes looking over the woman before her as she started looking more clothed and less naked. "Goodbye… um…"

"Alice," She replied, clearing her throat.

"Alice, right." Claire chuckled awkwardly as the woman extended her hand to shake it. Claire hesitantly shook it back. "Claire."

"Claire," Alice smiled, stepping closer.

"Yeah." Claire began to blush a little.

"Nice meeting you,"

"Yeah. Bye, Alice." Claire said, before shuffling off to her bathroom of her large apartment, closing and locking the door behind her. Alice shook her head, still smiling like a fool as she gathered the rest of her clothes, dressed, and then left the apartment, booking it for home to change before going to the precinct for yet another day on the case.

* * *

"Where the hell have you been?" Jill's accusatory tone cut across the stillness of Alice's apartment when she walked in. The blonde closed the door softly, and padded over to her kitchen where Jill was enjoying her morning coffee.

"Uh… too drunk to come home last night?" Alice bit her lip, knowing Jill would see right through her half-lie.

"Really?" Jill rolled her eyes. "I don't even want to know. Seriously. You look like shit."

"Thanks." Alice commented, reaching over to take a swig of Jill's coffee to rid her mouth from the taste of beer.

"Do you mind?" Jill sat back, still not amused. "Your shirt's buttons are misaligned."

"They – " Alice glanced down at herself, realising her one button was too low on where it was meant to be left open, showing off the edge of her bra. "Woops."

"So not only did you go out to drink, you hooked up with someone?"

"Er… yeah, so? I had a little fun. I'm allowed."

"Alice."

"Come on, Jill. It was just a one night stand, jeez. Hell, she kicked me out of her place this morning."

"That bad, huh?" Jill teased, and Alice shook her head, heading for her room to grab fresh clothes to shower.

"Oh yeah." Alice joked as she headed into the bathroom, taking a quick refreshing shower before changing into fresh work clothes, adjusting her unruly hair the best she could. Even wet, it still had a mind of its own. Freshened up for her day at work, she came out in time to see Izzie grabbing her backpack for school. "Hey,Iz. You have a good day today, all right? How about we go out for pizza for dinner tonight?"

"Yay!" Izzie beamed, running to her mother's side to give her a hug. Jill stood with her keys in hand.

"And you have a good drive back to Raccoon, all right?" Alice smiled, shuffling forward with her daughter on her hip, giving Jill a hug as well.

"You take care Alice, and don't hesitate to call me. I don't want another call saying you've been shot or stabbed again though." Jill said, patting Alice on the back before stepping away, duffel bag in hand. Izzie had her small arms wrapped around Alice tight before letting go.

"I promise. And Iz, I'll meet you at school and we'll head out for an early supper, okay?" Alice ruffled her hair again before Izzie left with Jill to be dropped off at school as it was on Jill's way out of town, and Alice had to get to work for her first day back since the incident.

* * *

Alice had arrived right on time for her job, sitting down in her desk which had now been moved right next to Detective Frost's. She chugged back her freshly made strong black coffee, popping a few pain pills that she had brought to keep in her desk for her headache. She had slight bags under her eyes, and her hair still couldn't be tamed even though it was dried. Frost was shaking his head, smirking.

"Some night you had, huh?" He teased. Alice sighed tiredly, running a hand through her hair.

"It was… yeah. Some night. Remind me not to celebrate so hard next time to come back here." She began reading over the latest case file that had been left on her desk, checking the details of the autopsy that Maura had sent them when Jane's low voice got her attention, and she glanced up. Jane was speaking to another woman out in the hallway.

"Oh, I think that's the new detective the department hired." Frost saw the way Alice had looked up. "Some rookie they pulled up. Apparently she's got a pretty keen detective sense."

"What happened to Frankie getting the job?" Alice tensed, eyes watching Frost's intently.

"Lieutenant wanted him in another unit for a little while, keeping the siblings apart." Frost replied. "I don't know why. It's just the way it is." Alice felt her eyes widening as the woman shook Jane's hand, and when she turned to walk into the precinct from the hall way, Alice bit her lip and slunk down in her chair. She recognised that face all too well.

* * *

"Frost, tell me something. We're friends, right?" Alice glanced up at the man next to her. Frost shot her a curious look.

"Yeah, I'd say so. What's your problem?"

"That woman that just got hired…" Alice cast her eyes back to the hallway, seeing Jane shaking hands with the redhead.

"Yeah, what about her?"

"I hooked up with her last night after drinks at The Dirty Robber…" She winced slightly. Frost then looked over to the woman, then to Alice again. He began laughing to himself, shaking his head.

"Shiiiiiit, Abernathy. You are so screwed, and not just in the literal sense." He reached over to prod her in the side to force her to sit up. She cleared her throat as Jane and Claire entered the office.

"Detective Abernathy, this is your new partner, Detective Claire Redfield." Alice slowly stood up, awkwardly smiling as she offered her hand. Claire's face was slightly in shock, but took the hand again for the second time that morning.

"Nice to uh meet you, Detective Abernathy." Claire replied forcibly. Jane then smiled at the new partners, and showed Claire to her desk and work space, leaving Frost to continue to laugh under his breath at Alice when the other two left them to go across the room.

* * *

"Shut it." Alice hissed, feeling her face warm up. Frost continued to tease her anyway.

"Damn, first you get stabbed, and now you've slept with the woman who's now your new partner. You have real shitty luck."

"Tell me about it." Alice sipped more coffee, finding that she hadn't put enough cream in it. "The funny thing is, Jane was at the Robber with Maura last night too. I'm surprised she didn't recognise her."

"She was definitely not lookin' at anyone else if she was with Dr. Isles. If you know what I mean." Alice gave Frost an inquisitive stare.

"Oh really?" Alice pondered, and then she smirked. So it wasn't just her that got that vibe from the medical examiner and the detective. Interesting, she thought.

"Yeah really, especially lately. Man. Sometimes I think even dispatch just has to call Jane and not even bother with Maura. They're always together."

"And they claim to be close friends. My ass." Alice commented, chuckling.

"So, wait, I thought you were married to a guy?"

"Eh, yeah. I was. You could say that after Spence, it was that bad, he turned me gay." She shrugged. She wasn't exactly sure of her own sexuality at times; she just knew now that she had a higher preference for women.

"Huh. Well look at that, Doc's in the house." Frost pointed out with a tip of the head. Sure enough, Maura walked in, wearing something too fabulously fashionable to be at work, complete with some high end pair of heels. Alice caught herself glancing up at the blonde, noting her slender legs, also catching Jane doing the exact same from across the room.

"Good morning." Alice said with a casual smile to the doctor, who was carrying in two coffees from the café. She nodded in return before heading over to Jane who was now sitting at her desk, now that Claire was settled in.

* * *

"Here you go, fresh from the Café. Figured you would need a boost since you started so early this morning." Maura offered the coffee in her left hand for her friend. Jane took it with an even brighter smile, fingertips brushing across Maura's briefly when she took the coffee.

"Thanks." Jane replied, leaning against her desk, sipping it. Alice exchanged a look with Frost, and then grabbed the pad of yellow sticky notes she kept on her messy desk, and took her pen, quickly scribbling _'Married? Married' _on the paper before handing it over to Frost, who laughed a little too loudly for what it was worth. Jane turned to him. "What's so funny?"

"Nothin', nothin'." He put the piece of paper in his pocket to hide it, still laughing inwardly at Alice's antics. Alice sat back in her wheeled chair, leaning as far as the hinged part would allow, going back to the case file.

"So we've got another point blank shooting?" Alice questioned, glancing between everyone in the room, even catching Claire's gaze.

"That's what it looks like. We're waiting to hear back from ballistics." Jane informed her. "I also have a contact for you to meet up with. Take Detective Redfield with you."

"Right." Alice cleared her throat, finishing off her coffee before standing up, grabbing her tan overcoat that matched the tie she was wearing with a white dress shirt, and a dark grey vest that went over it. It was a bit formal, but she figured for a first day back, it was necessary. Claire was wearing the usual dress attire required by the department; white button down with a pair of slacks. It was pretty standard that homicide did have nice apparel with its detectives. Claire had finally adjusted her badge on its string to hang low enough on her person that it wasn't hanging in her cleavage, her gun on her right hip. Alice figured she had one of the smaller Glocks usually given to the rookies. Her .45 felt heavy in its holster in comparison, but Alice preferred the heavier calibre guns. The shot might not be completely perfect in the moment, but the wound from it would prove lethal regardless. Claire stood before her, trying not to meet her new partner's gaze. "Well, come on then. We'll take my car." Alice on the other hand did the once over at the new detective before heading out the door, smug satisfaction written all over her face. She wasn't in the worst position here; Claire was.

* * *

"Stop looking at me like that." Claire hissed, olive green eyes bright when they finally left the office and the precinct, and were headed to Alice's dark blue Mustang.

"Like what?" Alice questioned as she unlocked the door, and slid into the comfortable seat of the V6 modern muscle car.

"Like you've seen me naked." Claire retorted, sitting in the passenger seat, buckling up before crossing her arms over her chest. She had not worn the right shirt to work, not after last night. She was not amused by this, not at all.

"Well, hello." Alice pointed out, casually shrugging as she pulled out of the back parking lot of the police headquarters.

"That's not the point." Claire hissed again. "It's _that_ look. The one where you're checking me out all over again. Stop it, Detective Abernathy."

"Detective Abernathy? This morning it was Alice. Now it's Detective?" Alice commented, keeping her eyes on the road as she drove for the address of the contact that Jane had provided her with in the case file.

"This can't exist, you get that right? You're no longer that chick from the bar."

"You took advantage of me." Alice pointed out in her defense. "And now you want to forget about it? I was drunk, vulnerable, and good looking and you took advantage."

"Okay, I was the one that was drunk, and you are not that good looking." Claire shook her head, rolling her eyes, staring out the window as they drove past downtown.

"Maybe just today I'm not. But last night? Last night I was fantastic. I had my favourite red shirt on. And you took advantage." Alice responded, turning right at a large intersection, heading north across the river.

"I did not take advantage!" Claire huffed. This car ride could not get any better.

"How about you take advantage again? Say, Friday night." Alice suggested, hoping that maybe the redhead would agree. Maybe.

"No!" Claire protested. "And if you don't shut up about it, I'll seriously bail out of this car, right now."

"You sure?" Alice snuck a quick glance to Claire with her casual smirk plastered all over her face. Claire lifted the lock on the door.

"You're my partner, I'm a rookie. This is inappropriate. Did that ever occur to you? And seriously, I mean it."

"All right, all right, at least let me slow down first." Alice chuckled with a sigh, before finally leaving her new partner to sit in peace.

* * *

At long last, Alice pulled her car up to the address from the file, parking the car across the street. She and Claire got out, heading for the door. Alice rang the doorbell, and stood back, waiting for the man by the name of Lloyd Jefferson Wayne who was supposedly involved as a witness sin the point blank shooting killing another man by the name of Peyton Wells. She waited, and waited until finally, the door was opened.

"Oh, uh… can I help you, ladies?"

"I'm Detective Abernathy, this is Detective Redfield. We're here to talk to you about the shooting that happened three days ago, killing Mr. Peyton Wells."

"Oh shit, yeah. Right, c'mon in then." The African-American man stepped aside, letting both women in to his humble abode, when suddenly just as he shut the door, three gun shots fired. All three hit the floor, bullets getting stuck in the wall above and beside the front entrance. "Shit, muthafucka!" Alice had drawn out her .45, moving Claire and the man into the living room of his house, down behind the couches, avoiding the windows. He too had pulled out two gold plated Desert Eagles from his belt beneath his leather jacket, sliding two magazines into the chambers. Alice then used her phone, taking cover against the wall of the hallway closet, beige walls matching her coat.

"Gun shots fired at 3956 Maple Ave. No casualties. Requiring back up!"


	10. Unpleasant Surprises

**A/N: Here we go! It's now 3:30am but regardless, this is finished now finally after a week's worth of writer's block. **

**To the anon who asked about the .45, no it is not coincidence. I love Milla in the movie .45, so it's my headcanon that if her characters have to have a handgun in an AU world, .45's are choice. **

**I will also definitely be tossing in more RE characters as well as Rizzoli&Isles characters too, shown in this chapter. **

**This chapter is dedicated to Brittany, for whom fell in love with this and stayed up the same time live blogging it on tumblr. Bless her. **

**anyway, read, enjoy, and review. :)**

* * *

**Chapter Nine: Unpleasant Surprises**

Pressing her back to the wall, Alice slid the mechanism of her pistol to load the bullets into the chamber, turning the safety off. Claire had pulled out her Glock-17 as well, staying down behind the couch as she eyed LJ's gold plated Deagles. "I'm pretty sure those are illegal." Claire pointed out, glancing around the room for any movement in the windows.

"I have papers!" LJ responded. "Trust me, girl, these are protected."

"Excuse me, that's detective to you."

"Would you both shut up?" Alice hissed, standing to her feet. She was trying to gauge through the front door's side windows if the shooter was still nearby. She soon heard sirens pull up, and she figured the shoot had obviously left. She stood up, discharging the chamber to her gun before holstering it, opening up the door. "Get ballistics out here with crime scene investigation to recover those bullets. Three rounds, all aimed through the door when we entered Mr. Lloyd Jefferson Wayne's property."

"Please, I told ya, call me LJ in light of the informal situation." He said before straightening his coat and holstering his two massive handguns. Claire soon joined Alice out on the step, feeling slightly lightheaded at the instance that just occurred. So much on her first day, while hung over was not faring well with the young detective, and as she passed the doorway, she glanced at the three bullet holes in the wall. Alice noticed her lagging behind, and then stopped on the stoop outside the door.

"C'mon, let's head back to HQ, let these guys deal with it."

"Yeah… that's a good idea."

* * *

"First day on my new job, and I almost get shot." Claire sighed, rubbing her face, brushing her straight auburn hair back and into a ponytail. They had returned to the station after a SWAT unit came to clear the area, unable to find the shooter anywhere nearby. LJ had come with them, driving his boat of a Cadillac behind Alice's Mustang. Jane and Frost had joined the new team, bringing both women a bite to eat and coffee from the café to settle their nerves.

"My first day on the job," Jane began. "I had to tackle a naked guy."

"My first day, man," Alice paused, trying to remember. As it stood, she and Claire were speaking if it was work related. Otherwise, it was usually silent between the pair. "We were doing a drug case, and we had a whole truck load of cocaine to lure out a few gangbangers. Turned into a gun fight. But that's Detroit for you."

"Oh don't even talk to me about drug deals," Jane began to laugh. "I was in the Drug Unit before I went to homicide, and I was undercover for quite some time as a low grade hooker."

"You, really? Full blown cheap make up and fishnets?" Alice suggested, and Claire couldn't help but to laugh at the thought of Rizzoli dressed like that. Jane, after taking a moment to compose herself, nodded.

"It's true, and that was how we first met." Came Maura's voice as she walked in, holding a piece of paper. "Turns out the bullets that were fired today matched the same one that was used to kill Peyton Wells."

"Now it's just a matter of time," Frost spoke up. "Who wants to talk to our contact?"

"I'll go." Alice stood, glancing between Maura and Jane. She'd have to wait and find out later how their first meeting went.

* * *

"So what is it, Mr. Wayne, that you do again? And why did you have a pair of .50 calibre Desert Eagles on your person?

"Man, I'm tellin' you. I'm a ladies shoes salesman, a'ight? And those are my customs; I don't go anywhere without'em. Hell, I got papers for'em too. Now, tell me, detective, are your feet sore? You seem to be walkin' funny, now that I see you walkin' with them fine legs of yours." LJ spoke up, slouching in his chair in the interrogation room they had him in, fiddling with the Styrofoam cup of water in his hand.

"No! Er, I mean no, they're not sore, and-"

"Oooh, I see how it is."

"Mr. Wayne, please." Alice huffed, not amused. "What do you know about the shot that killed Peyton?"

"Listen, all I know is I was drivin' around town, waitin' to pick up my girl, Betty, after her shift at the hospital, a'ight? And all of a sudden, I hear one shot from across the way, then some muthafucka ran the hell out of there right in front of my Cadillac. I'm pretty sure the idiot hit my grill, but he kept going."

"Do you think it hit hard enough to maybe leave a cut?"

"Have you seen the front end of my Caddy?"

"What year is it?"

"'67." LJ replied, shifting in his chair. He really couldn't stand being around this many cops, even if they were just detectives, and even if they were nearly all women.

"Ah, I take it that could've left a mark. Where's your car now?"

"Outside where I left it," LJ pointed out. "Duh."

"Oh, right. We'll have to have the crime team see if they can get anything off of the bumper." Alice stood up from her chair. "I'm sorry about earlier."

"Shit, ain't that bad. Not like the time I got caught up between a gang fight. That was not fun."

"Right, well, if you have anything else to tell us that you see, call me." Alice slid her new card with her name and number on it to LJ, and he slid it into his jacket's chest pocket, and zipped it closed.

"I will, hun. Don't you worry yourself 'bout that." LJ stood up, and went to leave the room, glancing over the blonde again. "You sure your feet ain't what's buggin' you? 'Cause come on, you are still walkin' kind of funny."

"Mr. Wayne." Alice shot him a look. "Please, escort yourself out."

"Sure thing, officer."

"It's Detective!" Alice rolled her eyes, seeing the man finally leave. She then sent out a call to the crime scene team to go take a look at LJ's car to check for blood and DNA.

* * *

"Says he used to be on the S.T.A.R.S. unit of Raccoon City until he retired after he was shot on duty in the ankle." Jane read off the details on the man that had been the first victim of the shootings. She slowly turned to Alice. "Wasn't your friend, Jill Valentine on the same team?"

"Y-yeah, she is…" Alice sighed, realising what it meant. She'd have to let Jill know, and hope that maybe she knew him as it seemed no one around knew who he was or what he was doing in Boston. "I'll… I'll call her." Alice left her desk and headed for one of the empty interrogation rooms to have a quiet area to tell her best friend the news. She pressed in Jill's number, knowing full well by now she would be just entering the borders of Raccoon City. It was already half past two in the afternoon, and without traffic, she'd soon be home. "Come on, Jill… pull over and pick up…" Alice muttered, when finally, Jill's familiar voice answered her.

"Alice, didn't think you'd be calling me this soon. What's up?"

"Jill, tell me you're pulled over and parked."

"Of course I am. I don't drive and use a phone, obviously."

"All right, well… here goes. Did you ever know of a Peyton Wells?"

"Yeah, we worked together quite a bit before he retired after an injury on duty." She paused, voice growing suspicious. "Why? What's… what's going on, Alice?"

"Peyton was found shot in the head, and left in an alleyway here in Boston two nights ago…"

"Oh... Oh my God…" Jill's voice faltered on the other end of the line. Alice shifted hands, and held her phone closer to her ear. She swore she heard Jill sniffle.

"Jill, would… would you have any idea why he was here?"

"N-no, I… he lived right here in Raccoon…" Her voice grew quiet. "He didn't go out much since he had a limp from the gunshot in his ankle. He was a good guy."

"I'm… I'm sorry for this, Jill."

"No, no…" Jill dabbed at her eyes, sighing as she slouched farther down in her truck's seat. "I'm glad it was you telling me at least…"

"I can keep you updated, if you like."

"Please. And Alice?"

"Yeah?"

"Bring the son of a bitch who shot him down…"

"I will. I promise you that."

* * *

Alice hung up her phone a while after Jill had hung up, and slid the thing into her pocket, shaking her head to herself as she left the interrogation room to let the others know the situation. Regardless if Jill decided to come back to Boston or not, Alice would offer her the spare room again in her apartment for a secure place to stay. The rest of the day was spent putting the pieces together with LJ's statements and the DNA collected from his car, along with other samples from the victim himself. Around three in the afternoon, Alice made sure her duties were able to be covered by Frost, before heading out to pick up her daughter from school for their early dinner together.

Pulling up to the elementary school that was a good ten minute drive from the precinct, Alice parked her blue Mustang, then stood outside of it, waiting for the bell to go signifying the end of the school day. She kept checking her watch as the minutes ticked by until finally, the old bell rang and kids by the dozens began swarming out, heading for the busses and other vehicles, or the sidewalks to begin the trek home. Alice stood back, hands in her beige coat's pockets, trying to see if Izzie had made it out yet. After a good five minutes, she caught sight of her daughter's familiar bouncy gait, heading straight for her car.

* * *

"Mama!" She grinned, beaming with her toothy smile, throwing her arms around Alice's middle in a hug.

"Hey, baby girl. How was school?" Alice asked as she offered to take Izzie's back pack and toss it into the back seat while the girl got into the passenger's seat, buckling up.

"It was good! We got to start our new art projects today."

"Oh yeah?" Alice asked as she waked around, and eventually got in, shutting the door behind her, buckling up before she stuck the key into the ignition, starting the V6. It rumbled, and soon she pulled away, heading for the local Pizzeria that Alice had discovered in her time off that she and Izzie quite enjoyed going to. Her mixed CD loaded up the next song; which 'Billie Jean' and she turned down the volume to listen to her daughter.

"Yeah, Mrs. Fortune taught us how to use paints and stuff to mix them. It was so cool. Except she hates the boys in my class."

"Are they loud and don't listen?"

"Yeah pretty much," Izzie shrugged. "But she likes me!"

"Yeah?" Alice cast a quick glance to Izzie before making a left at an intersection, heading down the Pizzeria's street.

"She said my art was really good for my age."

"That's awesome, Iz. I can't wait to see it when it's done. We'll have to get a frame for it and hang it up somewhere at home." Alice suggested, finding a place to parallel park her car alongside the busy street. Once parked, she turned to her daughter. "I'll come get you out the other side." She then exited her side with caution as other cars were coming down the oncoming lane, and then went around, and opened up Izzie's door, taking her hand as she locked up the Mustang. Izzie leaned into Alice as they walked inside Gilbreti's Pizzeria, the door-bell jingling above them. An older looking man behind the counter with a greying bushy moustache and dressed in white leaned against the counter.

* * *

"'ey, welcome to Gilbreti's. What can I do for you lovely ladies?" He asked, arching his bushy eyebrows. Alice and Izzie walked to the counter, and stood there, glancing up at the menu.

"You order, Iz." Alice told her. The girl fiddled with a thick curl of her chocolate coloured hair, glancing at the array of options on the menu.

"A medium pizza with just pepperoni and…" She paused as the old man began scribbling out the order. "What do you want, mama?"

"You like green peppers, right?" Alice had to make sure, not wanting to ruin their dinner.

"Yeah! Green peppers sound good!"

"Oh-kay, one medium pizza with pepperoni and peppers. Somethin' to drink?" The elderly man asked.

"Just a bottle of water for me," Alice said, reaching in her back pants pocket for her wallet, fishing out a twenty and a ten dollar bill.

"Can I get an iced tea please?"

"You certainly can," The old man replied, and then put in the numbers in the till, and Alice paid him before they went to find a seat in one of the booths alongside the windows of the pizzeria. Izzie was bouncing slightly in her seat, glad to have been able to have an early dinner with her mother, going out for once.

* * *

"Oh! There's a field trip coming up," Izzie began, fiddling with the drawstrings on her lavender coloured hoodie.

"Yeah? Where to?" Alice asked, shrugging off her coat, hanging it on the hook of the post on the booth. She leaned forward on her arms against the table, paying all attention to her daughter.

"To the zoo!" Izzie exclaimed. "I have the form for you in my backpack."

"How much is it?" Alice asked out of curiosity's sake.

"I think twenty bucks or something."

"That's not too bad for the zoo. Remind me when I get home, and I'll sign it up and give you the money, all right?"

"You got it, mama." Izzie sat back, glancing over the counter when she saw another man glancing over towards them, paying no mind. "Oh yeah, and there's a day they're gonna have where kids' mommies and daddies can come to talk about their jobs to the class. Like show and tell but with parents. Could you come maybe?"

"Oh? Yeah, yeah I can definitely try to get the day off to do that." Alice smiled again, her features looking slightly worn. "I'm sure the kids in your class would love to hear how I take down bad guys and put away murderers."

"Yeah, hopefully then they'll like me more." Izzie admitted with a huffing sigh. Alice's brows knitted together.

"Why don't they like you?"

"They just tease me about stuff." She began fiddling with the drawstrings again, avoiding her mother's stare.

"Like what?"

"Just… being the new kid, and stuff. Being from Detroit and being different."

"Izzie, you know what I've told you about kids like that."

"That they don't go anywhere in life, I know, mama, but still. It… it hurts." Alice then reached across the table, taking her hand.

"If you're having serious problems, you know talking to me is okay anytime, and you should tell your teachers all right? I can… be there to tell them with you. You just have to ask me, sweetheart."

"Okay, mama." She replied softly, glancing up. Her own blue eyes that matched her mother's held a gleam in them, hoping that things would smooth out.

* * *

"All righty, here's the pizza for the two gorgeous ladies here." Came the voice of the man putting their pizza down on the table. He was much younger, tall, with long, built arms, and a chain around his neck. He winked at Alice as he handed her the bottle of water she ordered, and then the iced tea to Izzie. "Medium pepperoni and green pepper pizza with two bottled drinks." He grinned, putting his hands in his jean pockets. "You ladies need anythin' else, I'm your man, all right?" Alice glanced up, slightly unimpressed, but amused none the less.

"Napkins would be good," She replied.

"Oh, right, right," The man turned back to the counter, coming back with an inch high stack of brown paper napkins, setting them down. Izzie reached forward on the large pizza pan and took out a slice for her to start off with. "Well, there you go." He then paused, brown eyes glancing over Alice with peaked interest. "And you, I have to say, are one hot mama." Alice nearly choked on her water when the man stated his sentence, and Izzie began to chuckle

"Excuse me?" She then reached for her badge off her belt. "I appreciate it but…"

"Oh don't tell me you know Janie?"

"Janie? As in?"

"Rizzoli?"

"Heh, yeah, I know her. I work with her." Alice informed him, tucking it back away.

"Well, still. You're hot. Tell me, you free this Friday? Woman like you could use a man like me."

"Actually, I – "

"Excuse me, Mister," Izzie piped up. "But my mama doesn't like men like you."

"What?" He turned, facing her. His name tag on his white tank top revealed his name to be Giovanni. Alice turned her surprised gaze to her daughter, waiting to hear what she said next.

"In fact, she doesn't like men at all." She smiled proudly, and continued to eat her pizza. "But your pizza's really good."

"I- Uh. Well then. Um, you two enjoy that." Giovanni turned, shaking his head. "You chick cops, all battin' for the same team that ain't mine. Sheesh." He said before walking away. Alice arched a quizzical brow, wondering just what he meant by that statement; if it was generic or if he actually meant Jane as well, considering he said he knew her.

* * *

Alice laughed to herself as she finally began to dig into her pizza, enjoying the traditional Italian pan pizza made at this place. She figured Giovanni was the moustached man's son working for the family. "I've taught you well, Iz, you know that right?"

"Yeah. That's the truth though, right? You don't like men. And that's okay."

"Yep, that's definitely the truth." Alice continued to eat away at her pizza, enjoying the overly cheesy goodness that the homemade meal provided, especially since she didn't eat out much. She was just about done, leaving a few slices between them to take home when she glanced up to see someone she really, really did not want to see. She slunk down slightly, cussing in her head.

"Mama, what's wrong?" Izzie asked innocently. Her back was to the door, and she couldn't see.

"Look, you stay here and finish up dinner. I'll be… right back." Alice got up from the table, and headed towards the entrance where she couldn't believe who was standing there.

"What the hell are you doing here?"


	11. Pressures from The Past

**A/N: All righty! Just a head's up, good friend Brittany is going to be drawing a cover for this fanfic, so be on the look out for that when it's done! **

**To all those that reviewed, thank you.**

**It makes me happy to see people enjoying reading this as much as I do to write it. **

**Also, be prepared to deal with a lot of feels in this chapter. I'd recommend some soft piano music for parts of it later on.**

** So do read, enjoy, and review again. **

**:)**

* * *

**Chapter Ten: ****Pressures from The Past**

"Oh well, would you look at that? About time that you noticed me here." The man's slightly gravelly voice stood out at the pizzeria. Alice felt her nostrils twitch at the anger flooding through her mind.

"What. The. Hell. Are you doing here?" She repeated herself, her voice in a low growl now that her ex-husband stood before her. "You have a restraining order."

"That was ten years ago, Alice." Spence replied. He had grown in more of a scruffy beard on his face, and his hair had been recently trimmed. "And we're not in the state of Michigan, are we?"

"I'm still a cop, Spence." Alice retorted, her gun clearly on display on her left hip along with her badge.

"Homicide detectives aren't exactly working officers."

"I don't really give a damn. What the fuck are you doing here?" Alice asked for a third time, by which Giovanni had come over to the pair of them. Other customers were starting to look at the pair.

"Listen, I don't know what's the matter with you two, but if you could at least take it outside?" Giovanni asked before the verbal abuse grew to something physical. "I'm just tryin' to keep customers happy, all right?"

"Oh of course," Spence smirked before standing at the glass doors, holding it open for Alice, as always. "Go on, ladies first." Alice grunted, and shook her head, glancing back to Izzie, reinforcing her order to stay there.

"You can just go suck a cock, why don't you?" Alice mumbled under her breath as she went back outside, the smells of the city filling her nostrils again.

* * *

"You'd like that too much, wouldn't you?" Spence shot back, running a hand through his bristling hair, stuffing his hands in his worn leather jacket's pockets.

"Answer my fucking question. What the hell are you doing here?"

"Oh, popped by for a visit considering I was in the neighbourhood." He replied sarcastically. "It's been ten years, Alice. I haven't seen my daughter in a decade. It'd be nice to let her see her own father."

"Oh no. You are _not_ getting a chance to talk to her! Not a way in hell, Spence Parks!" Alice went on the defensive. "Not after the shit you pulled! Not after the way you oh so abruptly decided out marriage meant _nothing_ to you and you decided to sleep with every whore on the block _and_ treat me like I was worthless!" Alice yelled, her face growing flush with her anger seething.

"And you get no right to take away my kid!" Spence yelled back loudly. "She's mine too, you cunt!"

"You really wanna do this, right here and right now Spence?" Alice hissed back, stepping closer, fists clenching. "Because I will, I swear I will…"

* * *

"Hey, kid," Giovanni slid down into the booth where Izzie was dismally sitting, watching her mother arguing with the raven haired man outside. The glass windows muted what they were saying, but she could tell it was getting bad.

"Hi." Izzie replied shyly, and Giovanni provided a take-out box and helped her put the left over pizza inside of it.

"I guess I can see why your mom doesn't like men, huh?" he glanced over to the pair who was viciously going back and forth at this point verbally.  
"I think that guy must be my dad."

"Oh?" Giovanni's face fell a little as he had the realisation hit him about the little family that had come into his pop's pizza place. "What makes you say that?"

"I dunno. All I do know is that my mama hates him and well, she looks like she sure hates that guy." Izzie sighed, fiddling with the tab on the take out box. Giovanni scrunched his face up in thought, then glanced again to the couple fighting and noted that it was evolving into something possibly physical.

"That… don't look so good." Giovanni then got up, grabbing his phone, dialling the first person that came to mind. "'ey, Jane, one of your cop friends looks like she's gonna take the face of this guy outside the pizzeria."

* * *

"Bullshit, Spence! You fucked every woman down that block and you think I didn't know? And yet, you expect me to respect you enough to let you get to know your daughter? After all this? Ten years, and you just decide to show up here, stalking me to Boston when I moved here to get away from you?" Alice screamed in Spence's face, pushing him back. Spence barely budged an inch.

"And you_ didn't_ fuckin' hook up with that Latina dyke half the time I was gone?" Spence retorted. "Every damn night you hung out and you didn't fuck that bitch?"

"No!" Alice felt hot tears forming from the epitome of her anger peaking. Spence suddenly raised his arm, and brought his hand to Alice's face, smacking her with force. She stumbled back, catching herself on the brick wall of the building, her pale face sweltering red where his hand had gone. Caught up in the moment, she closed her eyes, thinking back that decade earlier when Spence used to hit her near the end of their marriage. Flashbacks formed behind her eyes of the bruises, the marks, and the sting of every smack, push, and punch, and without another second, she drew her gun, cocking it and flipping off the safety off the heavy .45. "Give me one good goddamn reason why I shouldn't just cap you right here and right now, you sick son of a bitch." She said, voice octaves lower. It was oddly calm for how angry she was, which in turn was scarier than her yelling. Spence stood back, face indignant.

"Go ahead, shoot me. Get arrested, put away for first degree murder, and Isobella gets put into the foster system. How motherly of you. I thought you were on the good side of the law, hmm?" Spence stood his ground, hands out of his pockets and in the air.

"You just assaulted a police officer… I'll have your ass in prison before you can even think of my face one more time…"

* * *

"Alice! Put the gun down!" Jane called out; her own gun drawn as she saw the situation Giovanni had called her about. How he had gotten her number, she would have to find out later. Alice continued to hold her gun out at Spence, aiming right between his eyes. Her left hand began to shake out of the nerves, and finally, she stood down, shaking her head as she discharged the gun, turning the safety back on before holstering the weapon. She glanced down at the pavement, shaking her head. She could hear Jane's footsteps coming closer, along with Frankie's heavier ones. He had come along for back up. Spence smirked smugly.

"Coward." He whispered under his breath, and at long last, Alice's anger finally snapped. She lunged forward, grabbing him by the collar of his worn tee shirt, nails digging into his Adam's apple before she started through punches with her dominant left hand, hitting Spence in the face. Heavy thuds sounded as she punched him repeatedly before the siblings Rizzoli stepped in to pull them apart. Inside, Giovanni had drawn the curtains so Izzie wouldn't see what was going on. He stood by the door way, letting the cops do their jobs. Alice fought against Jane's grip, wild fire in her eyes.

"C'mon! Alice! Let it go! C'mon!" Jane yelled, her husky voice filling the dirty blonde's ears. Spence stumbled back, his nose bleeding quite profusely, his right eye already darkening underneath. He barely struggled against Frankie's grip and shook his head in disbelief.

"You fuckin' crazy dyke!" Spence spat some of the blood out of his mouth to the pavement as the siblings dragged them apart. Frankie slammed the man down against the cruiser they had pulled up to and handcuffed him for safety's sake. Alice stopped, turning to look at the pizzeria, and through the slat in the door, she could see Izzie standing with Giovanni, holding the take out box, jaw dropped. Alice turned her head away and swatted Jane's grasp away, leaning with her back to Spence and the restaurant against the side of her car.

"Come on, let's get you down to the station, huh?" Frankie then tucked Spence into the back of the cruiser, giving a nod to Jane and Alice before driving off. Alice nearly jumped when she felt Jane's hand on her shoulder, and for the first time, she noticed the scarring on the back of it. Now was not the time to ask. She turned, and met the woman's dark chocolate eyes.

* * *

"Let's go to the precinct, we'll get this all solved. I take it that was your ex-husband?" Alice only managed a nod, and soon Giovanni came out, leading Izzie by the shoulder.

"Hey, uh… threw in another pizza… free of charge." He shrugged when Jane gave him a look, and turned to head back inside. Izzie too was strongly silent, and glanced up at her mother.

"Mama, you okay?"

"Y-yeah, baby girl. I'm... I'm fine. We're gonna go back to the police headquarters. Come on, we'll let Jane here show you around while mama talks stuff out, okay?" Alice did her best to remain composed while her daughter got in the back seat of the Mustang. Alice fished out her keys, hands still shaking. She held them out to Jane, the metal jingling against the ring. "Please… just… drive, okay?"

"Yeah, yeah of course."

* * *

"So," Jane sat down across from Alice, sliding her a coffee in the interrogation room. "Your ex showed up after ten years for what?"

"He wanted to see Isobella." Alice took the coffee, drinking it straight up. "He has a restraining order after I left him…"

"Because he was abusive."

"Still is." Alice rubbed the side of her face. "I don't know how or why he stalked me here to Boston, but… I thought he'd be gone, and…" Alice took a breath. "Ten years of rage pent up…"

"It's understandable, Alice. I'm just glad you didn't shoot the guy." Jane reached across and patted Alice's arm gently, the touch lingering. "He hit you first, that's assault against a police officer. The rules of the restraining order were broken… you've got enough to lay charges against him."

"Oh, trust me. I will." Alice stated. "If he comes near Izzie, that's another story."

"Alice, come on. Think rationally here."

"Yeah, I know. First degree puts me away for life, my kid gets taken away, I get it." Alice sat back, chugging down the coffee, not caring that it burnt her tongue.

"Look, if you need to take more time off, Alice, I'm sure the lieutenant would understand."

"No." Alice shook her head. "If anything, I need work as a distraction. Besides, I have a partner to teach the ropes to."

"Yeah, I thought I recognised her that night at the Robber." Jane pointed out, crossing her arms. Alice felt herself grow alarmed.

"You… knew?"

"Yeah, I recognise faces without sleeping with the person first." Jane began to chuckle. Alice still didn't look amused.

"How the hell was I supposed to know?"

"You didn't. And I'm sorry, it's not that funny. But at the same time, it kinda is."

"Just shut up, all right? I'm sure your love life's just perfect. What with you and your 'best friend'."

"Excuse me?" Jane's brows shot up out of stark curiosity now.

"You heard me, Jane." Alice teased back. "I call it even now. Look, I should go... take my daughter home. It's late. "

"They've still got him there. I'll send Frankie out to make sure he doesn't try to follow you home. In the meantime, stay put." Jane said before she stood up, adjusting her jacket before heading down to the café where she had her mother keeping an eye on Izzie while the charges were processed against Mr. Parks.

* * *

"Hey there, Izzie." Jane called out softly, sitting down at the table where the little brunette girl had been sitting in since they arrived at the headquarters. She glanced up, blue eyes looking quite tired.

"Hey Detective, is my mama gonna be okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, she's gonna be fine. She wasn't hurt."

"Not physically, but she's gonna be sad." Jane's brows soon furrowed together, and she scooted her chair closer to Detective Abernathy's daughter. "She always said she hated my father after they broke up, and that's why I never got to know him. Because he's a big jerk."

"Yeah, it happens sometimes." Jane said softly as the girl took a drink from her chocolate milk carton. "But you won't have to worry about him being a jerk to you or your mama again."

"Promise?" Izzie glanced up, and then Jane slowly nodded.

"I do. I promise. I'll even send Frankie with you two tonight to make sure he doesn't come back." Jane explained with a soft smile after Izzie's face lit up a little.

"Would I be able to see the cop car and the sirens and stuff?"

"You sure can. You wanna go see them right now?"

"When will mama and I be able to go home?"

"Soon. I'm sure by the time we go to the garage, and come back up, everything will all be settled."

"Okay." Izzie finished off her milk before sliding out of the chair, stuffing one hand into the kangaroo pouch of her hoodie. She waited until Jane was walking beside her before reaching for the Detective's hand. Albeit being a tad surprised at the girl's actions, Jane took her hand as she began walking down to the elevator to head to the garage.

* * *

"Some rough night, huh?" Claire Redfield's voice cut across the empty office of the precinct where Alice was sitting at her desk, waiting for Spence to be thoroughly escorted out of the building after she had decided to press charges.

"You're still here. Yay." Alice quipped back, slouching in her wheelie chair. Claire walked in, coat over her arm.

"Look, I like to remain professional here with our jobs, but if it's any consolation, we are partners, and if you need to talk about anything, know that I'm actually a pretty friendly person when you get to know me well enough."

"Well, as you can see, I have a psycho ex-husband, a ten year old kid who never met her father after the age of two, and deeply rooted anger issues with tendencies to pull guns upon my enemies. And a bad smoking habit which I'm craving quite badly right now but can't do anything about it because my smokes are at home, and I'm inside." Alice ran her hands through her messy curls, and sat up straight, tossing out the empty coffee container into the trash bin.

"I see. So you're complicated."

"Aren't we all, Detective?" Alice asked in response, eager to hear the redhead's answer.

"If you look at it that way, sure." She paced around for a moment in silence, gathering her thoughts. "It's been a rough first day for us both, but if there's time that you can spare come Friday night, would you want to get drinks at the Robber?"

"You asking me out, Redfield?"

"No." She replied with a soft smile. "I'm simply offering, as a friend, time away from work."

"Are you going to intend on getting me drunk? Because if you are…"

"No again, Detective Abernathy." Claire brushed back her hair from her face, green eyes meeting Alice's. "Let me know."

"Sure thing." Alice replied, watching the woman leave. Her eyes couldn't help but to fall upon her back side, noting the way her hips swayed, and the contours of her legs. With a shake of the head, she stood up, and headed out to find Jane and her daughter. It was time to go home.

* * *

Another few hours had passed, and by the time it had all been sorted out, Alice was simply exhausted and stressed to the point where as soon as she had Izzie eating her bed snack and tucked in, she too went straight to bed, gun out on the nightstand as opposed to in the locked drawer where she normally kept it. She knew Jane had insisted on Frankie's presence down below her apartment block, but she couldn't take any less of a precaution to soothe her edging paranoia that somehow, Spence would make another appearance. Curling up, she tried closing her eyes, but to no avail. For the first bit, she went out to her balcony, and sat and had a few cigarettes to steady her nerves before going back to bed. What she didn't expect was to see her daughter curled up in the covers, waiting for her.

"Izzie, it's half past twelve. You've got school tomorrow."

"I just wanted to be with you." Alice couldn't help but to smile at her daughter's reasoning, and then slipped back into bed. She simply wore cotton shorts and a slim fit tank top to bed, but it provided enough to be comfortable. She got under the covers. Like always, she had previously chewed mint gum to freshen her breath after she smoked, and she soon cuddled up to Izzie, draping her arm over her daughter's middle protectively. All fell silent for a while, until Izzie spoke again. "Why did you and my father break up?"

"Long story short, he wasn't the good guy I thought he was when we got married and had you. We were both better off without him."

"Why'd he come here after so long, mama?"

"I don't know, baby girl." Alice replied sadly, her other hand playing with Izzie's thick curls. "But hopefully he'll go away and never come back to us."

"Are you ever gonna get married again, mama?"

"I don't know, Iz. If I find the right person who loves me and you, maybe. But for right now, I'm perfectly happy with it just being you and me."

"Could we get a puppy?" Alice let out a soft laugh, planting a kiss on the side of Izzie's head.

"I'll think about it. Now, get some sleep, okay, hun?"

"Okay, mama."

* * *

"What's the deal?" Claire yawned, tying her hair back into a loose ponytail at the nape of her neck as she joined the ranks of Jane, Frost, and Dr. Isles outside of the downtown core. It was nearly three in the morning.

"Another shooting." Frost pointed out to the body that they had been called about. It was early, but they knew the faster the evidence could be collected and analysed, the faster they had a shot at catching their killer.

"Why didn't we call Detective Abernathy?" Dr. Isles inquired, glancing between them. Jane shook her head before glancing to the body of young woman dressed in a blue tank top and jeans with long wavy brown hair, and then to the shorter framed body of a raven haired East Asian man lying next to the woman, both with gunshots to the head.

"Because she's had enough on her plate for one night to not have to deal with a double homicide."


	12. Old Friends, New Partners

**A/N: Hey everyone! Hope you enjoy this chapter. I'll be bringing in another one of our Rizzoli & Isles characters here, so have fun with that. I'm not sure how many more chapters exactly there will be; it's how many I decide I need to write to convey the story! Know that I do have the ending in mind and the next crime all plotted out! Thanks again for the reviews, and continue to read and enjoy. **

* * *

**Chapter Eleven: Old Friends, New Partners**

"Gunshots again were from the same gun as our previous victim." Maura stated as Jane stood in the morgue. "Two victims have identification on them as one Crystal Waters, and one Kim Yeung. Single gunshot to the head. One is slightly off kilter in Kim's head as opposed to Crystal's where hers was right between the eyes."

"Whoever it is has good aim."

"Clearly. This time though, I think the shooter was in a hurry." Maura pointed out. "So far, none of their background checks relate them to Peyton."

"What did they do?"

"Crystal was originally from the United Kingdom. Apparently, she was working for a man named Bennett Anderson as an aspiring actress. Kim on the other hand was an accountant."

"The two must've been friends."

"I concur." Maura replied, sighing as she glanced over the two corpses. "They had not been dead long. Core temperatures were still only a little below average for someone who is alive."

"The gunshot sensors picked up on it at about two in the morning. It took someone half an hour to response." Jane shook her head. "I think these were random shootings."

"Why?"

"Something about it. It seems so rushed. To pick on two friends walking home from a bar, point blank? And they weren't mugged either."

"Seems our killer has an itchy trigger finger, so it seems." Maura stated before going over to the sink, removing her gloves to wash her hands. "The gun that fired these shots is a 9 mm Beretta."

"That's really standard. Narrowing it down it going to be damn difficult."

"Rizzoli!" Claire's voice called out as she entered the morgue. Jane and Maura both turned to the redhead rookie. "We've got a hit on the security cameras from the bar across the street."

"Oh good." Jane replied. "I'll be back to find out about that DNA from Mr. Wayne's car, all right?"

"That should be in soon." Maura nodded, watching the two detectives leave.

* * *

"So what do we have?" Jane glanced between them as Claire stood next to Frost. She was wearing trousers that fit like jeans, and the usual white shirt.

"Watch." She nodded to Frost who began playing the tape on the monitors. Alice had been filled in on the case, and watched on with curiosity from her desk. On the tape, it featured the dark street lit up by orange street lights, the odd car going by. Then, the pair that had been found dead later, were seen walking out of the bar together. "Wait for it." Claire added as the film continued to then showing the pair halting in their tracks when someone dressed in all black forced them to freeze up with the sight of the gun before firing two shots in quick succession, dropping them.

"This was in the back alley, near the loading docks. The guy just leaves after that." Frost pointed out, freezing the footage on a particular frame. "Seems to be a fairly tall guy. Not too big though."

"Again with the good aim. He barely took a minute to fire at them." Alice pointed out, voice raspier than usual. She walked over from her desk, standing next to her partner. "Let's go see if the nearby bars had any one wearing all black sitting in them." She motioned to Claire before grabbing her keys to leave the precinct. Claire glanced to Jane who had given her a look, hoping the younger woman would be able to keep Abernathy in check after yesterday's welcome back to work incident.

* * *

"Are you all right?" Claire asked Alice once they were driving off on the road towards the crime scene. Alice kept her eyes focused on the road ahead, her hand gripping the steering wheel slightly harder than usual.

"I'm fine." She replied flatly. She didn't want to be interrogated by Claire, not now, not about this. The redhead shifted in her seat, folding her arms as she slid down the material seat of the Ford.

"Are you just saying that to get me to stop asking?"

"Why do you suddenly care so much?"

"As I said, I care about the well-being of my co-workers, especially my partner. I don't want to have to worry about a mentor that I'm supposed to be learning the ropes from."

"Stop worrying. I've dealt with a hell of a lot worse."

"Like what?" Alice waited until they had arrived at their destination before shifting the gear stick into neutral and pulling the parking brake. She slowly moved her shirt down from the right shoulder, revealing the two inch long, slightly jagged scar that ran just behind her collar bone and neck. It was still healing, but a much darker shade of pink than it first appeared after the first few weeks of Alice's recovery.

"Before you started working here, my first week on the job ended with a sting operation that wound me up in the hospital after getting stabbed with an Irish mobster's ice pick." Alice fixed her shit back, but then rolled up her sleeves. On her arm was a short lined scar that was in the middle of both outer and inner forearm. "This was from when my ex-husband tried to stop me from leaving the house when I wanted to alert the neighbours to call the police. He took the nearest object, which happened to be a letter opener and in the struggle, he stabbed it into my arm." Alice admitted, then met Claire's gaze dead on. It felt almost too soon to be telling her new partner all this, but something about the redhead made her felt at ease. "So when I say I'm fine, I mean I am damn well fine." Alice grunted dismissively before exiting her vehicle, rolling down her sleeve. She headed for the alleyway that was still guarded and taped off as a crime scene. She flashed her badge to the man on duty in uniform, and headed in.

* * *

It was a dingy alleyway, with several dumpsters and garbage bins that had all started to be processed for any other forms of evidence. Claire trailed behind Alice, falling silent to give the older woman her space. She knew Alice had her own history that she had heard briefly from Jane about, but even then, not much was known about the dirty blonde. Claire continued walking, glancing under the odd dumpster. She stopped however, when her eyes caught on to something. "Abernathy, look." Alice turned around from her position ten feet away and walked over, glancing down beneath Claire as she crouched. Beneath the one putrid smelling dumpster, was a hand-gun.

"Well, I think we just found our murder weapon." Alice smirked, putting on the pair of latex gloves she had taken from the lab for personal use for the crime scene. She fished it out, and waved one of the CSRU workers over. "Process this as soon as you can, and bring it to the lab for firing purposes." She ordered before slowly standing, her arm throbbing from the poking and the prodding she had done in the car where the ice pick had gone in. She still couldn't feel any touch there, which was why she never subconsciously minded touching it until the pain set in. Alice then headed back out of the alley, satisfied with what they had found. Claire in turn followed, and then pointed out another diamond in the rough, stopping Alice by reaching for her other shoulder.

"Look down." She pointed to the pavement about thirty yards from the alleyway crime scene. She walked ahead, boot heels clapping on the pavement. She crouched yet again, and pointed to the little tiny reddish-brown droplet. "That looks like blood to me."

"Think it could've been from our killer, Redfield?"

"Worth a shot, isn't it, Abernathy?"

"Damn right it is. Let's get those CRSU guys over here to try and find more before heading back to the precinct."

* * *

"Well, Jane, I have some interesting news about the blood on Mr. Wayne's Cadillac." Maura walked out of her lab, giving a positive nod to one of her assistants. Jane leaned back against the counter as always. She glanced over to Maura, noting how yet again, even during the work day, she looked ready to do a photo shoot for some big time company or magazine. How Maura did it every minute of every day, Jane had no clue. She liked the simplicity of what she wore; tee shirt blazer, slacks, and boots. It wasn't hard to maintain her appearance either, and for what Maura was able to pull off every day, Jane sure as hell appreciated the other woman's effort to remain looking absolutely stunning.

"Yeah? Any hits?"

"Actually, yes. One in particular that I think you'll want to see." Maura then pulled it up on her computer, and turned the monitor to Jane. Jane peered down, jaw falling as she realised who they had DNA for.

"Holy shit…" Jane rubbed her forehead with her hand, and let it linger there. Maura's brows knitted together as she remained close in Jane's personal space, putting her hand on the lithe woman's arm.

"What is it?"

"If this is the guy, Maura, this is gonna be a bit of a problem."

"What? Why?" Maura asked, wanting to know just what this one man had to do with anything besides being a cold hearted killer, if it was him. Jane stood up and then took off out of the morgue. She called back to the honey-blonde before exiting through the glass doors.

"Long story!"

* * *

"So, I was just sayin' to this guy that –"

"Rondo!" Jane's voice cut across the street when she spotted the familiar homeless man she had as her informer. He stopped talking to his friend, and turned around, smile filling his lips.

"Vanilla! What brings you out here? Got another case?"

"You're gonna need to come in to talk."

"Woah, woah, now, what's this deal about?" He questioned, curious now to know what the hell he had done.

"Just, come on." She tugged the sleeve of his jacket, and with a shrug, Rondo began to follow the long legged detective back to her car, presumably heading for the precinct.

* * *

"Now, Mr. Wayne, you said you didn't see the person when they hit your car?" Frost asked as he had called in LJ with regards to the DNA results on his car. He sat, wearing a fedora and matching jacket across from Frost.

"Nope, muthafucka just ran outta nowhere and bam hit me. Didn't see a face. It was too damn dark outside." He responded, glancing up along with Frost when they heard the doors to the offices open up, Jane leading Rondo in. "Rondo? You muthafucka, what you doin' here?" LJ stood up, and went to greet him, but Jane stood between them.

"LJ?" Rondo replied. "You were the guy who hit me? Really?"

"What the hell doin' runnin' out into traffic?"

"I heard a gunshot! I didn't want to get shot! Jeez!"

"And you didn't stop when you saw me? Shit, some friend you are."

"Wait, wait, you two know each other?" Jane glanced between the two men, and both nodded in her direction.

"Damn right. We were bowlin' buddies way back before this fool became one broke ass nigga."

"Oh shut up 'bout that." Rondo huffed, and then sat down in the chair Jane had pulled over.

"So what do _you_ know about the gunshot, Rondo?"

"Well, Vanilla," He pursed his lips, shooting a glance to the goateed LJ. "I just heard a gunshot and I did not want to get caught up in some cross fire or some shit, so I booked it. Didn't know I'd get hit by this shithead in his big ol'Caddy."

"Yeah, sorry 'bout that," LJ shrugged. Frost chuckled as the two interacted. Jane did not seem to be that amused as she took her place at her desk to take the statements of both men.

* * *

"How's the leg?"

"Oh it's fine. Nothin' but a few scratches and bruises. I'm fine, Rizzoli. Don't worry about it." Rondo reassured her with a smile. "Hey, your mama still workin' down in the café these days?"

"Yeah, she's there all right, and no you cannot go harass her. Not today. We need to take all this in. Did you hear or see anything else, Rondo?"

"Just some other bugger runnin' for the hills in the other direction."

"Did you catch any details on him?"

"Just wearin' jeans and a jacket of some kind. Other than that, I didn't see that man's face or nothin'." Rondo shrugged nonchalantly and tapped his foot, giving Jane a look, hoping for some cash. She sighed, and tossed him a ten.

"Oh come on, he gets money for this shit and I don't? What is this?" LJ protested. Jane glanced towards him.

"Do you look like a CI to me? I don't think so. You're free to go."

"Ridiculous this shit is, lady cop detective." He muttered under his breath before passing Rondo. "See you at the store sometime, huh? Feel free next time to ask for a ride, you dumbass instead of just runnin' away."

"A'ight, it's all cool." Rondo laughed deeply, patting LJ on the arm in return. "See you 'round man. I'm gonna make a visit to Mama Vanilla."

"Really?" Jane rolled her eyes as the pair of friends headed off towards the District One café, both going on about some joke or another.

* * *

"Well," Maura had already finished processing the Beretta pistol that Detective Redfield had found at the crime scene for the murders of Kim Yeung and Crystal Waters. "The shooter was wearing gloves that left no traces of fibres whatsoever."

"So, the guy had one medical gloves?" Claire suggested, and Maura nodded somewhat.

"Any variety of glove used that leave no traces of finger prints can include neoprene, leather, latex, anything really."

"So this guy's a natural killer." Alice stood back against the wall, arms folded across her chest. "By the sounds of it, he's either a hired hand, or out for blood of any kind."

"He's probably fled the city by now, if he's smart." Claire responded, sighing as she rubbed her forehead. "Any word about any of the security footage?"

"I haven't heard anything. For now, let's take that gun out to the range from lock up, and see if it's the same one." Alice then took the gun in its plastic bag from Maura before heading out of the morgue. Claire turned to Dr. Isles, and thanked her before following Alice, walking quickly to catch up with the prominent blonde.

* * *

With everything set up in lock up, and nearly the full clip still in the pistol, Alice handed it to Claire. "Go on,pop off a few shots." Alice left the woman to her own devices, tugging out a cigarette from her pocket. She wasn't able to really light it inside, but the man on duty was far too preoccupied with his paper work at his desk to notice. She lit up, finally finding the time to do so while Claire popped off two shots. She strolled over, lips clamping down on her smoke.

"Your aim's off." She commented, smirking. Claire's auburn brows furrowed together, and she shot a look to the taller woman.

"I'd like to see you do any better." She huffed, taking another shot. She missed the target's chest by just an inch. Alice shook her head, waving her hand for the gun. Claire stood away, handing the thing over. Alice stood, and without much preparation, and one handed, took three shots. Two of which were head shots, and the other a neck shot. Smoke still hovered from the three successive shots, along with her own cigarette's smoke, and she handed the gun back to her red vest clad rookie partner.

"Huh, I must be getting rusty." Claire took the gun from Alice, and with a shake of her head as her partner disappeared somewhere, she tried firing again, and didn't hit the target. When Alice was out of the building to go finish her smoke, Claire cussed to herself.

"For fuck sakes… getting rusty my ass." She mumbled, and fired one more shot off, hitting the head of the target silhouette. She really didn't understand the woman she had slept with from a few days ago; turned partner; one minute she seemed half decent, then the other she turned into an ass. Claire then signed what was needed for the gun to be put away in evidence lock up, and headed back upstairs alone, leaving Detective Abernathy to her own devices. Though, for a moment, she reconsidered offering a drink up at the Robber come Friday. Perhaps it was for the better that they didn't meet up. Or, maybe it would. She wasn't sure. Regardless, Alice Abernathy was becoming a pain in Claire's ass one way or the other.

* * *

Jane glanced up at Claire as she entered the office, wondering where Alice had gone. She smirked at the thought of the two of them and how they first met. If only Jane had stopped her that night instead of letting them leave together to presumably sleep together. Jane found it all too amusing, though she began to wonder with Alice's snide remarks about her and Maura. Was it that obvious? Or maybe, it wasn't obvious at all.

"Where's your partner?"

"Being an ass, and out for a smoke." Claire grumbled, sitting down. "The gun turned out to be the same gun that killed our three victims."

"Good on you for finding that. Any word about that blood you told me about?"

"Dr. Isles' team is processing it. They're trying to find a hit of any kind. How about the blood on Mr. Wayne's car?"

"Turn out to be my CI running from where the shooting took place, trying to avoid cross fire."

"Yeah, and turns out they're buddy-buddies too." Frost added, glancing over the red head with a smile. "Small world, isn't it?"

"No kidding," Claire huffed, glancing at the clock. It was only three in the afternoon on a Wednesday. What more could there be to do, she wondered, besides paper work? Not much.

"How are you and Abernathy getting along?" Jane asked curiously. She didn't know if Claire knew that Jane knew about their intimate hook up at the Robber, but she decided to see what the redhead would answer her.

"It's fine. She's a decent teacher, I guess." Jane had to hold in a laugh at the thought that crossed her mind. Claire was completely hiding it, so it seemed to the eldest Rizzoli, that they weren't pursuing anything romantic. Not now, anyway. "Could be less sarcastic and cold, but I don't blame her after that incident with her ex. Exes are bad news."

"It's too true." Jane sighed, still content that they were at least getting along now. "Anything else you need to talk about, you can come to me."

"Thanks, Jane." Claire smiled upon using her first name, and then went back to work. It was hard being the rookie, learning the ropes, but she knew for sure that it was worth every paying minute.


	13. Bad News

**A/N: Here we go! Chapter Twelve! To Wafarasu, I definitely think that will have to happen. Alice & Jane will bond over their scars eventually in this fic! For everyone else, here's more! Read, enjoy, review!**

* * *

**Chapter Twelve: Bad News**

Once work was over, Jane was heading for her apartment when she found herself joined by Maura like always. Pausing as she stopped to put her dark jacket on, Jane smiled at her friend's entrance to the office. "What are you doing up here? Thought you would've been home by now. It's kinda late."

"I know," Maura agreed. "But," She paused, holding up a manila file folder. "The DNA sample that Detective Redfield spotted away from our crime scene just came in. I figured you would want to see it." She held it out to Jane who eagerly took it, and hurriedly flipped over to the printed out photo of the male suspect. Her jaw slowly fell as she felt shock settle in to her system.

"Maura," Jane said lowly, voice stern. "You know what this means, right?"

"That this man has gone through many domestic abuse charges with a history of violence and possession of illegal weaponry, and a stint in prison only to have his bail met by a close friend?" She glanced up to Jane, her eyes a lighter shade than normal with the fading sunlight coming in through the windows. Jane closed her eyes, trying to put the words together in her head for later when she would have to inform the other detectives in their squad, as well as Lieutenant Cavanaugh. Maura put her hand on Jane's forearm, giving a slight squeeze as she sensed the change in the detective's demeanour. It worried her. "Jane? What is it?"

"This man is Alice's ex-husband. The same guy who was in town to make a stand to see his daughter again."

"Oh my gosh," Maura breathed, the realisation hitting her. "So, he was in town, killed Peyton, and then went to try and see his daughter against his restraining order. Then he fled and committed double homicide?"

"And now, he's probably left town, never to return. If he's smart, which, unfortunately for us, I think he is, he wouldn't go back to Michigan. We'll need to put out alerts and warnings, as well as to get a warrant for his arrest, as well as getting him named a flight risk." Jane then turned back to her desk, grabbing her phone. "If he hasn't left already."

"And what about Detective Abernathy?"

"She won't be able to be on this case. She's almost beat the hell out of him on the street, let alone trying to arrest the guy. But, she's gotta be informed in case he comes back to get her." Jane began dialling the numbers she needed to in order to get the warrant out for Spence Parks' arrest. Maura took out her own cell phone and brought up the other detective's number.

"I'll get her… she deserves to know as soon as possible."

* * *

Jill sighed as she flopped down on Alice's worn couch, finally able to rest after a day's worth of driving. She wasn't too tired, but her body was stiff from sitting for so long in her Mercury Marauder that she just needed some R&R. Alice carefully brought over two small glasses, both filled with an amber-coloured liquid. "I still can't believe Peyton's gone. His poor wife." Jill rubbed her eyes. It was after dinner, and Izzie was preoccupied with oodles of homework, leaving her mother and 'auntie' to themselves in the living room of the apartment.

"And two more innocent victims killed. It just… it doesn't make sense, you know?" Alice shook her head, still bemused about the matter, sitting down beside Jill before handing off her glass. "I always find this brand of whiskey really burns pain away."

"I'm surprised you're not an alcoholic, really. I mean, with the amount of booze you have locked up, I'd be tempted."

"Thank Iz for that." Alice added with one chuckle before taking back a good swig of the alcohol, letting it burn down her throat. She sat back, and flipped on the television, keeping the volume on low to talk to Jill. She flipped through the channels, landing on the seven o'clock news. "I'm still shaken over the fact Spence was back."

"God, Alice, I wish I could've been there to just lay a beat down on him for self-defence. That asshole shouldn't even be out, let alone coming down here to haunt you."

"You ever see him out in Raccoon?" Alice pondered about her best friend's happenings in the city she lived in for a few years.

"For the early years, he had to check in with his parole officer, and I'd see him sulk down to the correction's offices, and he'd just smirk at me and the others like it was some kind of game." Jill took a sip of her drink. "At least he's gone off now with more charges on his plate."

"Whatever, can we drop the subject of my ex-husband?" Alice asked, hoping to just put Spence out of her mind for now, and talk about other things.

"Of course." Jill nodded before drinking again. She shifted in her jeans, and brought her legs up and under herself in the corner of the couch. "So, how's your new partner?" Alice nearly choked on her whiskey at the thought of the two of them. The word partner had a whole different meaning to Alice, and for a moment, that image flashed before her eyes as Claire and herself as more than just work partners.

"We're… we're fine, I guess. She's a rookie, but…"

"Alice, what is it? You're going pink in the cheeks, and you're not drunk on three sips." Jill pointed out and Alice sighed, shaking her head in defeat.

"Night before I went back to work, I hooked up with that woman, right? The one you teased about her kicking me out?"

"Yeah? What does she have to do with your new partner?"

"She _is_ my new partner." Jill nearly dropped her almost empty glass into her lap, and then started laughing deeply, leaning back into the couch cushions.

"Oh, my, God. You mean, you slept with a stranger who ended up being your rookie partner?"

"Yeah, my luck huh?" Alice shook her head, and then with a pause of hesitation, she poured herself another full glass of whiskey from the bottle. "I mean, don't get me wrong, she was a good fuck that night, even though both of us were drunk to shit and…"

"Alice, I don't need to know about you and your tales of how many women you've slept with. Or else, I will go into great detail about mine, and I know how much you hate hearing anything hetero."

"I won't go into details. I did ask her to go out Friday night, she said no. Then she goes to me sometime after we started working together if, as friends, and partners, to drinks at the Robber. I said I'd think about it."

"That's… confusing. What are you going to do?"

"I might go," Alice shrugged. "Spend the night at the Robber. If you'd baby sit Iz, that'd be great. She's still getting used to the girl from downstairs."

"So you did hire a teen baby sitter?"

"Her name's Dahlia; nice enough girl, smart, helps her with her homework when she needs it. Izzie's just shy, that's all." Alice explained, setting her glass down on a coaster. She occasionally glanced towards the television and didn't pay much mind to the stupid celebrity news.

* * *

"So, go and do what? Talk to this woman? What's her name anyway?"

"Claire Redfield," Alice said without much care. "A rookie they brought up. Don't know much about her besides the fact that she's quite uh… in shape."

"Wait… wait, _Redfield_?" Jill's grey eyes widened slightly.

"Yeah, Redfield." Alice said again, returning the stare. "What's it to you?"

"Alice… you said she's a redhead, right?"

"Yeah."

"Oh. My. God…"

"What? What is it?"

"Chris, as in my partner, has a younger sister… I never knew her first name but… how common is a name like Redfield?"

"I uh…" Alice arched a brow as Jill took out her phone, and began loading up her Facebook. She hurriedly typed in Chris' name to look on his page, and sure enough, one of his photos contained his redheaded sister. She opened the photo on her phone, and held it out to Alice.

"Is that her?"

"Yeah… yeah that's Claire." Alice swallowed, and bit her lip.

"Shit…" Jill tucked her phone away. "I mean, I won't say a word to him about you and her but…"

"Jill, seriously, what's this about?"

"For one, I don't know if he knows his sister even likes women, and for two, he's the most protective son of a bitch I've ever met. I have heard stories about how he scared off a lot of guys from dating her in high school, and her prom date? I heard he drove them in his truck to prom and picked them and dropped him off at home first so that they didn't get up to anything on prom night."

"I'm a grown woman, not some high school dweeb. And so? It's 2012. What's he going to do if she likes women? I mean, really?" Alice shrugged it off, and sunk deeper into her couch. Jill set her now empty glass down as she tucked her phone into her grey hoodie's pocket.

"Well, I really – "

"Besides, it's not like she and I are going to go out anyway. She's very uptight about rules and regulations and what not. Apparently, if we dated, it'd be inappropriate."

"I can see her point."

"So? It's not like some hospital drama where I'm that much higher up the totem pole, and sexual relations can be seen as sucking up." She smirked at the thought.

"I guess you have a point too." Jill shook her head. "Still. Chris would probably kick your ass."

"Less incentive to want to go out with her then." Alice stated, leaning back in her seat, feet up on the wooden coffee table. Jill chuckled at Alice's defeat, folding her arms.

"So are you just going to live alone forever?"

"I have my kid, Jill. And a job. And my left hand."

"Alice, really?" Jill let out a low laugh, leaning back into the couch, head against one of the cushions. Alice smirked as she turned to the television, and flipped to the TV guide when she heard her phone ringing on the kitchen counter. She got up, and then went to go answer it.

* * *

"Alice Abernathy speaking." She paused, putting it to her ear. "Maura? What can I do for you? Oh… oh my God… oh yeah, yeah, no I'm fine, doc, really. I just… I need to sit down." She moved over to the kitchen table, sitting in the oak chairs that went along fine with the slightly beige walls of her apartment. Jill glanced up over the back of the couch and noticed that Alice's flush face had turned slightly pale. She got up and padded over, putting a hand on Alice's good shoulder as she continued to nod into the phone. "Right, uh… yeah, I'll be there tomorrow, and the rest of the week… thanks." Alice hung up, and then set the phone down.

"Alice, what's up?"

"It's nothing."

"Don't lie to me, _Janus._"

"Don't use my middle name," Alice hissed, then turned to the brunette, taking out her pack of cigarettes from her pocket as well as her Zippo lighter. "Turns out the shooter, the one that killed Peyton? We have reason to believe that by blood dropped by the scene of the other two shooters proves that Spence Parks is the killer. They think he's probably fled the country by now, but they're getting a warrant to bring him in…" Alice rubbed her face, and then began flicking her thumb against her lighter yet again, not quite igniting it. "God, if Wesker hadn't bailed him out then… none of this would happen and…" Alice buried her face in her palm, only looking up to hear Izzie's footsteps join them into the kitchen.

* * *

"Mama, what's wrong?"

"Nothing, honey. All done your homework?" Alice asked, glancing up. Izzie nodded, setting her school bag down by the wall where it always sat.

"Yep. Can I play Pac-Man on the computer?"

"Sure you can, Iz." Alice's daughter then turned and headed for the office, and sat herself down, booting up Alice's laptop to load up the old flash game that her mother had gotten her into to pass the time. Jill sat down with Alice, and took her hands in her own.

"Alice, they can get patrols out here. Hell, I can get a squad out to look for him. If he's a flight risk, he's not leaving. Any idea why he would've killed Peyton?"

"I don't know," Alice said softly. "Out to get you through killing people you know?"

"Maybe." Jill pursed her lips. "But the point is, he won't come back here. Not when the whole of the BPD will be after him for an assault charge and three homicides. And you have me here."

"I know, I just worry. What if he comes after you or Izzie?"

"We won't let him, all right?" Jill gave Alice's hands a squeeze before letting the woman escape to her balcony to go have a smoke or two to calm her nerves. Jill then tidied up the glasses and the bottle of whiskey before sitting down to watch the news and weather. Even with the bad news, Jill was glad to be back with the two people she considered to be her family.

* * *

"Hey sis, long time no talk." Chris' voice came through Claire's speaker phone in her next to empty apartment. She still had quite a few unpacked boxes laying around, and she still hadn't fully set in since she moved from Raccoon City out of her brother's house.

"How're you?" Claire asked as she busied herself with cleaning her kitchen while she conversed with her much older brother, wiping down the sink and counters.

"Good, good. You know anything about Jill and why she was going back to Boston? Something about Peyton Wells?"

"He was the first victim in the three homicides. I still haven't met your girlfriend, even with this happening. She hasn't been down to the station."

"She's not my girlfriend," Chris corrected sharply. "And I was just curious. She talks about her friend Alice being a cop too, and I wondered if you know her." Claire froze as she wiped the counter down, and bit her lip as she realised that her partner was in cahoots with Alice thickly.

"I uh… Alice Abernathy is my partner." She paused for a beat. "In the homicide unit." She quickly added, so her brother wouldn't get any ideas. She returned to cleaning off the counter top, scrubbing away to remove the grime.

"Huh. Well, if you do get to meet Jill, then uh, tell her I say hi."

"Why don't you just call her yourself? Or ask her out already."

"Claire, I don't like her that way." Chris responded heavily, and then shifted the phone to his other ear. "Anyway, I'm glad you're situated well into the new job. How's the apartment holding up?"

"It's… all right. I still have a lot to unpack and a lot of rent to owe you."

"Hey, take your time. A nice pay cheque for Christmas would be ideal."

"Done." Claire smiled, finally sitting on the edge of her counter, done with her house work. She glanced over her badge and gun on her table. "It shouldn't take me that long, but I can save it as a lump sum."

"Whatever works, sis." She smiled at her brother's response, then shifted in her seat, and leaned back against the counter walls. "I should get going. Got a football game to get to."

"Have fun." She answered. "Be safe. I love you."

"Love you too, Claire."

* * *

The next day at work, Claire walked in to the precinct, and after hearing the news regarding their suspect from Jane, brought Alice a fresh coffee. The older woman looked like she had barely slept. "Either you're hung over or you didn't sleep." She said, putting the coffee down on Alice's desk in front of her. Alice looked up, bags under her eyes, hair an uncontrollable mess of dirty blonde curls. She smiled at the gesture, glad to have finally gotten back on Claire's good side. It was easier to teach a rookie when they liked their superior.

"Thanks, Redfield."

"Seriously, I think we're at a first name basis now. Please, call me Claire." She then sat down at her own desk across the way. "And you're quite welcome."

"Well, now it's a matter of hunting down Spence." Alice sighed. "I'm off that case anyway, but, you can still help Jane and Frost."

"Right." Claire nodded, adjusting her trouser belt. "Look, the offer still stands for Friday night, just so you know."

"Actually,I think I'd like to take you up on that." Alice sipped her coffee slowly, her eyes gazing up, meeting Claire's green ones.

"That's great. I'll see you, 8pm at the Dirty Robber Friday night then. I look forward to it."

"So do I, Claire."


	14. The Truth Is

**A/N: I had quite a lot of fun writing this chapter. To my guest reviewers, I love the support you've given this story. It makes me so happy. This is probably my longest fanfiction I've ever written in one go, and I just love how it's turning out. This chapter is basically one night scene, but it's pretty pivotal for a number of reasons. Read, Enjoy, Review. **

**ps, I love you all.**

* * *

**Chapter Thirteen: The Truth Is…**

For Jane, Friday night couldn't come sooner. She had been working her ass off, plain and simple, trying to find out where Spence Parks might be located. It was harder than trying to find that pivotal needle in a haystack. After all, he could be anywhere, Hell; he could've left the country at this point. Jane didn't want to think about it, but it was still stuck in her mind. So far, she had heard no good news on the matter, and by Friday evening, she was just about ready to sink herself in a few pints of beer at the Robber.

* * *

"Hey, glad to see you out." Claire Redfield's smile filled her entire face as she saw the familiar gait of her partner strolling in to the bar. She noted the blonde had either trimmed up her hair, or had actually tried to style it as the curls were less curly than normal, and more in shaggy waves. Alice returned the smile, though she still knew she looked like shit since she had barely slept since the news about Spence being the man responsible for three shootings. She was just paranoid; staying with her .45 beneath her pillow in case he came to try and kill her too. It was irrational, or so Jill thought, but Alice knew no matter what she tried, that fear would always be there. Shifting in her low rise jeans, she sat down, simply wearing a thin strapped tank top in olive green, revealing her shoulders. It was the first time she had worn something like that since the stabbing, but she was proud to show off her war wounds. Claire's eyes gazed over the scar, then to Alice's eyes which in this light were a shade of very light blue-green, complimented by her blonde hair.

"Yeah, well, here I am." She replied, sitting on the stool, tucking her heels against the foot rest, leaning on the bar counter. "Is this just mutual, buy your own?"

"It could be, if you wanted. I'd be more than willing to buy the first round." Claire offered.

"That's considered a date in my books." Alice replied back, a glint of amusement in her face. Claire took a moment to decide, and then went for it.

"Fine. I'll buy you a drink, and we'll call it a friendly… date."

"So this friendly date," Alice drew out as Claire called out to Murphy for two on the tap house beers. "Does this entail anything more than just a drink?"

"For now," Claire held the pause. "No. Unless I decide it calls for more." She replied simply with a teasing grin. She herself shrugged off her red vest jacket, and draped it over her own denim lap, revealing the white tank top beneath it. The weather was finally starting to warm up outside, and it carried on into the bar. Alice noted the fact that Claire's arms carried muscle tone, though not as much as her own, and Claire had womanly curves. Alice tried her best not to think of the night they hooked up, but she couldn't help it, even when Murphy delivered their beers. She held out her glass.

"Cheers?"

"Cheers to good times," The redhead smiled again, and took a sip to sample the beer before taking another one. Alice did much the same, though she took much longer to set it down again, letting the golden liquid slide down her throat, refreshing her senses. Alice sat up straighter, glancing up at the televisions depicting numerous sports review shows. She remained silent for a while, thinking about her first week back on the job, as well as Claire's first week, and how they met. Though, she was glad for this 'friendly' drink even though it was bordering on not being a date. At least it was friendly.

* * *

"So any plans for the weekend?" Claire asked out of the blue, and Alice switched her gaze from the television to the woman beside her.

"Besides going to yoga tomorrow morning, and taking care of my daughter, no." Alice responded, deciding then that she wanted to actually go back to the same studio that Maura had taken her to three months ago. She figured she needed that stress relief in a healthier way then going back to half a pack a day of cigarettes. She just couldn't afford it, both money-wise and health-wise. "You?"

"Oh nothing much. Unpacking more boxes for my apartment, painting up the bedroom."

"So, why did you come to Boston? Just the job offer or?"

"That and the fact that we vacationed here a lot when my parents were alive."

"Oh, I uh… I'm sorry to hear."

"It's fine. It happened a long, long time ago. My mother had breast cancer. And my father was killed in action when he was in the Navy. I lived with my brother before moving here."

"Ah," Alice replied softly, not wanting to pry into Claire's personal life that much, but the redhead continued anyway.

"It was hard for the first few years, but then I went to college, and well, became a cop. My brother's a cop too; says he's partners with a friend of yours."

"Jill." Alice stated, thinking of the comments she had made earlier about Claire's brother, Chris being over protective. She didn't take too long to ponder on that though.

"Yeah," Claire nodded. "Between you and I, I think he has a thing for her, but he tells me otherwise whenever I ask him." Alice began laughing softly as she finished half of her beer.

"I say the same thing about him to her, but she threatens bodily violence against me every time I bring it up." Alice shook her head, thinking of the brunette who was at home babysitting Isobella.

* * *

"I'm telling you, they'll probably get together," Jane chuckled, turning to Maura who she had gotten to come out with her on Friday night. She glanced as she saw the two partners sitting there, enjoying beer and a conversation without any angry glances or snarky comments. Maura simply cast her gaze to Jane, sipping her red wine.

"They're bonding. I doubt that makes it seem like they'll get together." Jane turned back to look at Maura.

"There's more to it than just that."

"Oh?"

"Remember that night we were here and Alice left with that woman?"

"Yes?"

"That was Claire." Jane informed her. Maura's eyebrow arched high and her face turned to a surprised expression.

"Oh! Well, in that case, maybe there might be a little more to their relationship than we might be able to see."

"I told you, Maur." Jane chuckled, sipping from the bottle in her hand. "There's something there."

"Have you not had anything to distract _you_ from other people's love lives?" Maura inquired, and Jane shot her a look.

"I've been too busy, y'know that." She shook her head in denial.

"So nothing from Gabriel?"

"Ugh, Maura, I told you. He wants to settle down, and I'm not ready for that. Not with him anyway." She muttered the last bit, and Maura sat farther forward.

"So, it's not that you don't want to settle down ever, it's just with Gabe?"

"Stop calling Dean that. And yeah, yeah that's… I guess." Jane huffed. "And what about you, hm?"

"If the right person comes along with whom I can share a living space with and be truly in love with them, then of course, I'd settle down, maybe someday."

"You don't sound so sure about that."

"As I said, it depends." Maura responded calmly, glancing over to Alice and Claire who were engaged in rather humorous conversation; Alice's raspy laugh sounding as a bright smile filled her face. Maura flicked her gaze to meet Jane's again, and held it for a silent minute. "If I'm happy and the person I'm with is happy, then it's a good chance that I would settle down with that one person. It's all about finding the right connections and similarities that complement the other person in the relationship. As they say, opposites attract."

"Well, thanks for that, Deepak Maura." Jane scoffed slightly, finishing off her beer. It was going to be one of those nights. Maura furrowed her brows at Jane's response, unsatisfied with what she said. Maura finished off her wine, then gathered her large dark blue purse out from the booth seat beside her.

"I… I should go. It's getting late, and I think Bass is missing me." She said quickly, avoiding Jane's sudden stare.

"Maura?" Jane said softly as Maura stood up. "Maura, c'mon! I didn't mean it like that. Maur, come.. Maur!" Before Jane could reach across the table to at least try to tug the woman back into her seat by her sleeve, Maura had left the money for her drink and had left The Dirty Robber. Jane sighed to herself, shocked that Maura had taken such offense to her comeback. In lieu of the medical examiner leaving her high and dry, Jane ordered another beer, and sat sideways in her booth, watching the television, and occasionally Alice and Claire.

* * *

"Look, I'm gonna poke outside for a smoke," Alice said as she finished her second beer. Claire shook her head, still grinning wildly after Alice let rip a few hilariously entertaining jokes.

"That's going to kill you one day. That's why I quit."

"Hasn't killed me yet." Alice shrugged, then got up and walked across the bar, nodding to Jane as she passed the Italian descended detective on the way out. She walked way down the street, more towards the alleyway beside the bar and then took out her case of smokes and lighter from her jeans' pocket, and lit one cigarette up, taking the first drag at a lengthy dose, letting the smoke fill her nostrils. It was a bad habit, but it was a damn hard one to break. Maybe after they brought Spence in, she'd consider attempting to quit. For now, she would enjoy her nicotine fix. That is, until she glanced up, noting a figure in a black sleeveless shirt heading across the street straight for her. Her eyes fixated on tanned arms that were muscular in build for a female, and her eyes trailed up to her face, the cigarette nearly dropping out of Alice's mouth.

* * *

"Alice Abernathy, never woulda thought I'd see you out at a place like this." The Latina woman smirked as she stood before her former girlfriend as the lights of the city lit up the streets. She had her hair down for once, in big wavy curls down to her breasts, wearing just a tee shirt with the sleeves rolled up, jeans dark with holes in the knees and combat boots. She smirked, glancing over Alice's body. The blonde stiffened and clamped her lips down around her cigarette, flicking away the ashes to the wind. She stared into Rain's warm brown eyes, and for a moment, she bit her lip.

"I wouldn't have expected you to be in Boston. What the hell are you doing here?"

"What the fuck do you think?" Rain shot back, hand on her hip. "You think I'd come all this way to see the water?" She replied sarcastically.

"Rain, it's been how many years since you dumped me?"

"Six or so. But look, that's not the point." The shorter woman crossed her arms, leaning back against the wall of the Robber bar.

"Why are you here?" Alice began getting irritated, not wanting to be around her ex for longer than she had to be. She was already feeling uneasy, even with the two beers in her system.

"I have knowledge about the case you're workin'. Heard a few things in the news, heard a few things in the streets. Thought I'd come find you. Heard cops hang at this place all the time." Alice glanced at Rain skeptically, not budging an inch as she continued to smoke.

"Really now. And that's all you came for? To tell me that Spence is a douchebag out to get me? I already know that. So really, what's your reason?"

"Alice," Rain began, sighing a little as she moved off the wall to stand in front of the beautiful blonde yet again. "I was worried 'bout you, a'ight? I didn't know what shit was goin' down. Yeah, I was the one who ended it; don't mean I don't care for you." She stated honestly, meeting Alice's stare. "And hell, I miss you."

"It's been six years. Six since I've heard a word from you and now you just show up, unfuckinginvited to talk to me?" Alice snapped slightly, flicking more ashes away angrily now. Rain stood her ground and didn't budge.

"I know it's hard to believe, but yeah. I was younger and stupid, you know that. What we had, Al, it was…"

"Get to the point. What about the case and Spence?" Rain shifted in her boots, and went to speak, then sighed again instead.

"I mighta saw him pass through Raccoon the other day, heading north. Probably to Canada or some shit like that."

"You didn't call it in?"

"I did, to RCPD. You'll get word of it on Monday, but I thought I'd at least come tell you that he's goin' far, far fucking away. I heard the story of how you got fuckin' shanked by an Irish mob guy three months ago too."

"Glad you care so much, really." Alice scoffed, finishing off her cigarette, stomping out the butt on the concrete sidewalk. Cars were going by as the night drew on, moon in the sky, clouds covering the other stars.

"Alice, I'm sorry, okay? It was dumb of me to freak out and panic when I found out you had a kid. How is she anyway?"

"Izzie's fine. Jill's staying with us for a while, at home with her." Alice explained, unable to tear her gaze from Rain. Rain stepped in closer, and Alice stood up straighter.

"Hey, look, how about it? You and me, we start over, huh? Just you, me, workin' to pay the bills, livin' together. I've matured. I'm ready to settle down, and you…" Rain reached forward, grabbing the belt hoops of Alice's low rise jeans, tugging her close. She leant forward, and then used one hand to cup Alice's cheek in her palm, moving in to kiss her. After so many years, she finally remembered what it felt like to kiss the taller woman. Alice didn't push her away; in fact, she somewhat leaned into it, but then reality clicked in and she somewhat pushed Rain away from her, shaking her head.

* * *

"Rain, I can't. I'm sorry, I just – "

"C'mon, all this time… I thought you said you weren't dating again, hell."

"I…" She glanced back through the window of the Robber, and saw Claire still sitting there. "There's someone else."

"Really? Who?"

"Just… I'm on a date right now, and I said I'd be back after this smoke." Alice said distantly, tasting Rain on her lips for the first time in six years.

"Well," Rain shook her head, kicking away at the gravel that lined the side of the street. She felt more disappointed than anything, finding out that Alice of all people was busy dating yet again. "I'm happy for ya, I mean it. But can we at least be friends again? Because, fuck, I miss hearin' your voice and shit." She glanced up with a hopeful look on her face. Alice smiled genuinely, and nodded.

"You still have my number, don't you?"

"Yeah, man. I'll… keep in touch, 'specially if I hear anythin' about that fuckin' asshole ex of yours, that ain't me."

"Yeah, you do that. I uh.. look forward to it." Alice nodded before turning back for the bar. "Take care, Rain. It's… it's good to see you." Rain began walking back down the street where she had come from.

"Same here, _corazon lindo de mi alma_."

* * *

After seeing Rain again, Alice decided as she sat down beside Claire once more, to order another beer, and a shot of tequila. It brought back old memories of her and Rain spending the night together over a bottle of Mexico's finest liquor, but regardless, she enjoyed the heated burn of the liquid down her throat. Claire arched a brow at Alice's sudden impulse to buy more alcohol. Claire herself was done for the night.

"Well, this has been nice, but I should get home. I uh, would rather not be hung over to unpack boxes, paint walls, and rearrange furniture. But," She paused, sliding her slender arms back into her red vest, adjusting it when it was on her torso. Alice glanced up over her glass as she drank a long sip of beer.

"Yeah, yeah, it's uh… it was fun. We should uh… do it again sometime.. say, same place, same time, next Friday?"

"Yeah, I'd like that." Claire smiled. "_Partner_." She emphasised the word before letting her hand trail off Alice's hand on the bar countertop before turning away to leave, giving a wave to Murphy the bartender. Alice then finished off her third beer, then the rest of the tequila. She ordered another shot of it before finishing it off to, feeling quite effectively drunk. Bored, and sitting with no one, she shambled over to where Jane was sitting, and plopped herself down opposite the detective, without even asking.

"Can I help you?" Jane said sarcastically, her mood not having improved since she offended Maura earlier.

"Hey, now, lemme tell ya somethin', Ravioli. " Alice began waving her hand as she leaned forward. Jane arched a non-amused brow at the other woman who was clearly inebriated, and wondered what she had to say.

"And what would that be?"

* * *

"You and the good doctorrr," She slurred. "The truth is, you just need ta tell her thatcha love'er, a'ight? I see the way you look at 'er, and lemme tell ya, that's love in your eyes, Ravioli. And you're gonna let her just go home without ya? Fuckin' hell, I thought you were smart or somethin'." Alice slurred on, letting it all come out, her Detroit accent shining through perfectly even though she was hammered. Jane's face was full of disbelief as Alice continued to blather on loudly. Very. Loudly. "Seriously, when ya gonna come outta the closet, woman? Fuck, if I wasn't sooo into a particulararaly hot redhead, I'd probably show ya what's it like to be gayer than Elllllennn D.G, and ya'd never go back." Alice smirked, and Jane continued to be and look absolutely mortified.

"I uh... Alice, you need to go home."

"Oh I know I do, hun, just… thought I'd tell ya 'cause we all know yer secret, Ravioli baby, except you and the doc 'erself. So," Alice stood up wobbly, and put her hand on Jane's shoulder to balance. Jane turned to look at Alice, not sure quite what to feel about her claims. "Go tell'a you love her and make beautiful babies, er whatever, a'ight?"

"Hey, Murphy, call this woman a cab, all right?" Jane called out to the bartender and he did just that. Alice began laughing, her voice hoarse at this point.

"Seriously, denyin' it isn't gonna help you one bit, Ravioli. Love is love, and you," She jabbed her finger into Jane's chest. "Need to capture it while ya still can."

"You are drunk, and making no sense. Go home, Alice. Christ, just… get out of here." Alice rolled her eyes as she saw her cab and then headed towards it out of the bar.

"Seriously, Ravioli! Think 'bout it!"

* * *

"Ugh," Jane rubbed her face, deciding enough was enough. She waited until Alice was gone in the taxi, and gathered her things to leave before anyone could say a word to her. On her way home, she couldn't help but think that Alice's drunken and slurred words had more truthful meaning, but at the same time, she put those thoughts aside, and headed off to bed to sleep the incident off, and hoped to forget about it for morning. Though the one thing she couldn't get off her mind, no matter how hard she tried, was in fact, Dr. Maura Isles.


	15. Born Unto Trouble

**A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed! Writing Drunk Alice was probably my favourite thing to do, ever! I still laugh about it even now! Anyway, sorry for the delay; had a bit of a writer's block for this. Though, you can thank 'The Rose' for giving me inspiration for the last part of this chapter.**

**If you wish to seek out my musical influences for this last paragraph of this chapter, check out a piece from the movie 'Gladiator' 's score, called "Am I Not Merciful?' by Hans Zimmer.**

**Read, Enjoy, and Review. **

* * *

**Chapter Fourteen: Born Unto Trouble**

"C'mon, Maur." Jane muttered under her breath, shuddering slightly as she had pulled up to the outside of Maura's house. She debated just going home, but with the way Maura had left her so upset, and with Alice's drunken words reverberating in her head, she couldn't just go home without saying anything. She wasn't sure what the hell to believe with the words that came out of Alice's mouth, being that drunk and all. She ran her hand through her hair and rang the doorbell again, when finally Maura, clad in her pink silky pajamas opened up the door.

"Jane, what are you doing here this late?"

"Look, about earlier, I really… I really just wanted to say I'm sorry for what I said. I didn't think you'd be that offended over it, but…"

"Come in at least, it's cold out here now." Maura stepped aside, and let Jane in, closing the door behind her. Bass was standing in the middle of the kitchen, nibbling on a bright green lettuce leaf. Jane went to the dining table, and sat down. Maura joined her, adjusting her pony tail, tendrils hanging down framing her face. She sat down in the chair next to Jane's and turned to face her, sitting up straighter.

"So, I just… I'm sorry all right?"

"How drunk are you?" Maura asked bluntly. Jane arched a brow, blinking for a moment while she tried to figure out the answer in her head.

"Just a few beers, that's it." _Not as much as Alice_, Jane thought, but decided to not tell Maura about that or what the other detective said.

"I just wish sometimes, Jane, that you would be less abrasive. I was trying to make a valid point, and you shot me down."

"Seriously," Jane reached forward for Maura's hand in both of her scarred ones. "I'm apologising for that, and y'know, if you just say something about it, I would've stopped." Maura's lips curled up slightly in a tiny smile, returning the hold on her hand.

"You're forgiven." Maura stated, glancing up, knee bumping against Jane's slender thigh. "Would you like some tea?"

"That'd be lovely, Maura." Jane responded, and the doctor was out of her chair, grabbing the kettle to fill it up, and two mugs. She knew it was late, but regardless, she'd stay up, now that Jane had joined her presence. She stood at the counter, watching Bass eat his lettuce. Jane occasionally glanced up, and caught Maura's hazel-green eyes meeting her own. Alice's words rang in Jane's head again, and she did her best to try and dismiss the Detroit native's claims, but for whatever reason, her accented voice kept ringing in her head. Jane thought she was somewhat crazy, and the fact that Alice had been intoxicated did not help whatsoever. The kettle whistle soon broke Jane's thought and her distant half stare at Maura, keeping the medical examiner busy while she prepared her best friend and herself a mug of tea. Soon, the pair were back to sitting down, mugs on coasters. Of course, Maura knew what Jane took in her tea; one sugar, and milk until the tea was fairly pale.

* * *

"Are you going to go to yoga with me tomorrow morning?" Maura asked, hoping that the answer was a yes. Jane arched a brow, yawning slightly.

"All right, if you drive." She chuckled, and Maura easily agreed.

"If you stay over, then we can just go straight from here. I'm sure I have workout clothes that will fit you."

"Done." Jane smiled brightly, and for a while, she couldn't help but to admire the same smile reflected back at her from Maura's end of the table.

"You can take the guest bedroom." She offered; her voice soft as she sipped her tea casually. Jane took a more direct route and drank heaping mouthfuls, even though it was still a tad too hot.

"I could use a good bed to sleep in right about now."

"Did you drink too much?" Maura teased, grinning playfully.

"Maybe a little," Jane returned the soft gaze, and then set her now empty mug down into the sink, crossing the room to Maura to stand right in front of her. "We good?"

"Yes, Jane. We're good."

"Well uh… good night then." Jane went to turn to head away to the guest bedroom in Maura's house when she felt a hand on her shoulder, stopping her.

"A hug?" At the suggestion, Jane of course, gave Maura what she requested, but couldn't help but to think back to drunken Alice Abernathy and her 'wise' words of wisdom. She didn't let the hug linger, and then yawned for effect.

"G'night, Maur."

"Good night, Jane."

* * *

_"Come on, puta, lemme hear you scream my name…" Rain hissed in Alice's ear from behind her, as her knee parted Alice's legs yet again, tugging her bare back in against Rain's breasts, the small of her back against Rain's toned stomach. Alice groaned out as Rain continued to pump into her, the leather harness creaking as the Latina pressed into Alice deeper, the silicone phallus in as far as it could go. Alice closed her eyes, hands gripping the wall ahead of her, clawing to get some kind of hold. She turned her head to the side again, and grunted, feeling Rain's hot breath on the skin of her neck, followed by the sharp sensation of the younger woman's teeth against her flesh. Alice was rising to the edge, wanting to hold back, just for a little longer, but with the strap-on nailing her sensitive g-spot again and again, she couldn't stand it. Crying out, Alice let Rain's name roll off her tongue as she finally fell into oblivion, her release a soothing sensation…_

* * *

Alice jolted awake in her bed and sea of pillows, covered in a hot sweat, sheets down to the point of almost falling off the bed. The dirty blonde realised the kind of dream she was having, and smirked to herself. Sure, it was an old memory, but a damn good one. She bit her lip, sliding a hand down her side, and between her legs beneath her shorts, and closed her eyes. She was all too aroused still, and before she decided to finish herself off, to maybe help with her hangover headache, she glanced to her clock on the nightstand. 7:27am, it read. "Goddamnit," Alice whispered to herself. It wasn't a whole lot of time before she had to get to yoga if she chose to go, though the likelihood of that happening _now_ was not that great. She teased her hand beneath her thin grey shorts, closing her eyes again as she let her deft fingers slide between her own legs, rubbing herself, imagining not only Rain, but Claire who made an appearance in her mind as well. She couldn't help it; it was a hot idea, and one she couldn't get out of her head, now lost in her own world to the point that she didn't hear the first knock on her door, nor the hinges of it opening.

"Alice, I thought you were going to yo- Oh my God!" Jill's eyes widened as she realised what she had just walked in on her best friend doing. Alice's eyes flashed open, and she froze up.

"I uh... shit, get out!" Alice groaned, and Jill did just that, closing the door behind her, though she stood against the door, her laughter soon erupting. Alice sighed deeply, realising she was not going to get close enough to hit orgasm, not now. "I know you're standing there, Jill, and unless you want to come back in here to help me out, go back to the kitchen, please!" Jill continued to laugh harder at the suggestion, and then decided to leave Alice alone.

"I'm good, really… you're not." She lost it laughing as she went back to the kitchen, glad Izzie wasn't up yet. She figured Alice was not going out to yoga this morning.

* * *

Alice scrambled out of bed, grabbing her yoga clothes, and bag, and barely had time to steal a swig of Jill's coffee again, and a quick kiss to Izzie before heading out the door. She was going to be a little late, but better late than not going whatsoever. Driving across town, she arrived just at five minutes past eight, her hair a right mess, head still aching from her drinking the night before. What she had forgotten about was the fact that Maura and Jane both were at the studio. Taking a mat, and a few stares, Alice set herself up at the back of the room, getting a warm smile from Maura and a shake of the head from Jane. Regardless, Alice then paid attention to the instructor at the front of the room instead, and began the class.

"Look Jane, it's Jorge." Maura pointed out to the man that she had once tried to set Jane up with. Jane made a face at her, and gave her a threatening stare.

"Do _not_ call him over here." She hissed. Alice opened up one eye from the current pose she was doing to glance between them, an amused smile filling her lips as she listened in.

"What could it hurt, Jane? I'm sure he'd be glad to see you after all this time, even if he thinks you're a lesbian."

"Maura!" Jane growled back in response, earning a look from the instructor as they were told to switch up positions. Alice had to hold in a soft laugh. So it wasn't just her that thought that way.

* * *

After the class was through, Maura went over to Alice, Jane coming with her regardless. "How's the hangover?" Jane teased before Maura could get a word in. Alice smirked none the less, actually feeling better with doing the class before taking a pain killer of any kind.

"Actually, I'm great." She paused, knitting her brows together when she saw a fairly attractive, tall, dark haired man approach them.

"Hey, Jane, it's been a while since I've seen you." Jorge said softly, and Jane bit her lip, forcing a smile out. She shifted in her track pants, crossing her arms over her chest, covering most of her sports tank top. Maura stood back to allow Alice into the conversation as well.

"Yeah, it's uh… nice to see you too, Jorge. How's the nursing job going?"

"It's great, let me tell you." He paused, rubbing his forehead with a white towel to rid himself of the sweat on his skin. He then smiled at Alice, never having seen her before. "Hi, I'm Jorge." He offered a hand to her, and she shook it in return.

"I'm Alice." She smiled, and glanced to Jane. She figured there was a story behind why this guy though Jane was gay and she quite honestly wanted to know why.

"I haven't seen you here before. Are you Jane's girlfriend?" Alice snorted at the question, and started to laugh while Jane nearly had a panic attack.

"No! I mean, no. She's uh… another detective at the precinct. Maura here insists we all try different ways to relax. Abernathy here has started following our weekly habit."

"No, I'm not her girlfriend, though I do like women that way." Alice stated bluntly, and Jorge nodded slowly.

"Ah, well, I hope you all the best with the marriage rights and all that." He smiled before saying goodbye and leaving them. Alice continued to snicker to herself at the idea.

* * *

"Do I want to know the story about this guy?" Alice arched a brow between the other two women. Jane rubbed her face, and Maura bit her lip.

"Well, I originally intended to do a few double dates with Jane and Jorge, and myself and the man who teaches this class, though it didn't end up so well. He was really… attached to Jane. So… she asked me to stop him from wanting to be with her. So… I said she wasn't interested in men."

"You told him I was gay, Maura."

"I never told him. He picked up on the hint!" Maura shot back.

"Really?"

"I find this conversation highly amusing, Rizzoli." Alice smirked smugly as she turned to grab her things. "Especially after that conversation we had at the Robber last night."

"What conversation?" Maura asked, glancing curiously between them.

"Never mind, this one was drunk off her ass."

"Oh I know I was. But I know what I said. And come on, _really?"_ Alice teased back in the same similar fashion that Jane often said that one word, and Jane shook her head yet again as Maura continued to ask.

"I'll see you Monday, Alice."

"See you then, Jane."

* * *

The weekend passed rather quietly with no emergency calls for the homicide department to show up off duty. Come Monday, the lab had not found any other evidence to truly nail Spence Parks, nor had any hints come up about his location. Oddly enough, it put Alice slightly at ease, and yet not at the same time. She figured he wouldn't show up to Boston, though her suspicions grew as to think that someone was paying him to kill people. It was odd. She knew he was abusive, but had never been a killer, not until now.

Claire was settling into her job and her apartment, finally having unpacked everything, and painted the rooms that needed fresh coats of new colours to spruce the place up. She finally felt more at home in Boston, now that she lived on her own. Going to work, she was getting used to having Alice as just her partner, and friend as opposed to an awkward one night stand a few weeks ago. She often took the time that she could when she was free to go down to the shooting range, to improve upon her aim in case a situation ever came up that she needed to fire the Glock So far, her progress had vastly improved. The following weeks, things in Boston Homicide were quiet, too quiet. It was odd, Claire thought, that as a whole month passed with no one coming in murdered, that something bad was bound to happen. Though, the redhead didn't let it get to her mind too much, and soon enough, the dry spell was broken with a hit and run. Though this time, the victim was still alive.

* * *

"You are the most pathetic imbecile I have ever hired!" Albert Wesker's voice roared across the board room where Spence was seated at the other end of the table. "How could you let something so trivial as your ex-wife and daughter get in the way?" He shouted, slamming his leather gloved fist down on the table, causing the entire thing to shake. Spence sat up straight, still wearing his leather jacket over a white tee shirt and dark, ripped jeans.

"It was an honest mistake! I couldn't just let that bitch not know I was back!"

"And then you went and shot two random civilians? I TOLD YOU! WE WERE GOING AFTER THOSE IDIOTS IN S.T.A.R.S!" Wesker turned to face the raven haired man and lifted him up by the collar of his shirt. "AND NOW YOU'VE RUINED IT ALL TO HELL!"

"They won't find me!" Spence hissed back, earning him a hand to the throat. Wesker squeezed fairly hard, and Spence choked and sputtered for air.

"Like hell they won't! You're fired, Parks!" Wesker, for being a slim fit man, suddenly tossed Spence across his boardroom like nothing. "Now get out! And never return! These deaths are all on you, _Percival!"_


	16. Camaraderie At Its Finest

**A/N: All right! Here's a relatively lengthy chapter for you all. I'm slowly closing in on how exactly I want the next few chapters to go, and how to tie it in to the super awesome ending I've already written from the beginning. (Ass backwards, I know, but still. That's how I write!) **

**Anyway, read, enjoy, review! :)**

* * *

**Chapter Fifteen: Camaraderie At Its Finest**

"I still can't believe she made it out of the hit and run alive." Claire commented as she, Alice, Frost, and Jane stood outside of the intensive care unit in the Massachusetts General hospital. The detectives were looking into the victim's room where she was being tended to by a few nurses in colourful scrubs.

"She's in a coma; that barely constitutes as being alive." Alice remarked, and Jane shot her a look.

"She could wake up and remember everything, Alice. Let's try to be positive."

"Sorry, I'm just putting it out there." Alice sighed, flicking her finger against her thumb again as her hand remained by her side; her nicotine craving was peaking again. "She might wake up and wish she was dead."

"C'mon, Alice, seriously?" Jane shot back again, not impressed. Alice huffed slightly.

"It's five o'clock in the morning; give me a break for not being Miss Pocketful-of-fucking-sunshine."

"Hey, easy does it." Frost intervened before Jane could shoot a harsher response in return. Claire rolled her eyes, leaning back against the wall. She had her hair tied back, strands of hair framing her face, wearing a green shirt that matched her eyes.

"Let's just hope she wakes up and at least has something to give us a hint for who hit her."

"Think it was accidental?" Frost inquired, rubbing his slightly stubbly cheeks.

"Could've been." Alice pondered the suggestion, leaning back against the wall with Claire. She had half tucked in her white shirt into her trousers, but hadn't bothered to button it up all the way, showing off the slim fit white tank top she wore beneath it. Claire couldn't help but shift her gaze to the lanky blonde, admiring her level of fitness. It showed, even though the fabric of her clothes. Didn't help that Claire had somewhat remembered what she looked like without them too, though she tried not to dwell on that thought for too long.

* * *

"Someone that heartless enough to leave a twenty something year old woman for dead in the middle of the night?" Claire lifted a brow and Alice shook her head.  
"Hard to believe, but there are people like that in this world."

"Potentially an accident, potentially done on purpose." Jane sighed, running her hand through her wild hair, yawning slightly. "Text me if she wakes up, I'll get us some coffee." Jane then began to head downstairs towards the lobby to get them their caffeine fix. Frost stood with the other two women, taking up the space next to Alice.

"This is not how I like ending my week."

"It's been like, nearly two months since we've had a case, and now this? This is what we get paid for." Alice let out a soft chuckle, glancing back at the room that the nurses had now vacated. Claire moved off the wall.

"I'll see what the doctors say about her, and how long it might take for her to wake up." Claire declared before heading off in the direction of the nearby nurse's station to try and see if she could located the doctor who operated on the victim earlier. When she was out of earshot, as both Frost and Alice watched the redhead leave, he nudged Alice in the side.

* * *

"You and her, that ever go anywhere?"

"Nah, though you could call us friends now." Alice smiled as her eyes continued to follow Claire as she moved down the hallway. Frost chuckled a little, noting her gaze.

"You want more than that, don't you?"

"I'd be lying if I said I didn't." Alice turned her head back to face Frost, softly smiling. "I know it's not exactly, uh, 'appropriate' but, I mean, we've been going out to the Dirty Robber every Friday for months now, just as friends for a few beers. She goes home after two of them, and that's it." Alice sighed a little. "Least we're friends."

"Hrm. Seems to me like she likes you enough now to hang out after work, but nothin' past that. I've got a suggestion though, don't know if you want to do it or not."

"And what's that?" Alice turned a curious stare towards her fellow detective and he smirked a bit.

"In order to find out if she's just not interested in you, or if she is and you just don't know it yet, I'll ask her out to dinner. No harm done. If she goes, she goes, but a lot of topics could come out of a dinner table talk."

"That… could work." Alice chuckled a little. "Though no real moves on her, all right?"

"You really think she swings both ways?" Frost arched a thick brow, and Alice pursed her lips in thought.

"Well, I mean… it's possible, but – "

"She might be nice enough to say yes to dinner, but anythin' else?"

"Try your luck, I guess, but Frost?"

"Yeah?"

"Steal the woman I've got a thing for, and I will totally kick your ass, Detroit style, out back." Alice nudged him playfully and Frost nudged her back in the side, both laughing softly. They soon fell silent, briefly fist-bumping as Claire walked back towards them to close their deal.

* * *

"Well, Dr. Shepherd said the damage to her head was enough to the point that they had to induce her into the coma, but as her brain heals, he said that she could come out of it within a week."

"A week?" Alice said incredulously. "We'll have lost the person who hit this girl in the first place by that point."

"Well, we're waiting to hear back from residents in the area." Frost pointed out, turning as he caught the movement of blue in the corner of his eye from Jane's shirt as she walked back up with a tray of four coffees. Claire took one, and handed the other to Alice, smiling as she did so to help out Jane. Jane then reached into her blazer's pockets and pulled out several creamers and packets of sugar to give to those who wanted them. Claire took two of each, and Alice only took the sugar.

"So how long is she going to take to wake up?" Jane inquired.

"A week." Alice filled her in, shaking her head as she sipped the less than great hospital quality coffee from the Styrofoam cup, and went back to leaning against the pale yellow wall.

"Great." Jane said sarcastically, and they all fell silent again, sipping their coffees in unison. Alice glanced at her wrist watch. It was now twenty past five, and she knew it was bound to be a long day.

* * *

"So far, nothing." Frost stated as he hung up the phone. "I've talked to all the residents in the area, and none of them heard or saw a damn thing until Mr. Peterson came home from his night shift at a car frame factory." Jane paced the front of the office, hands on her slim hips.

"Honestly, they found nothing but our vic's own blood and tissue on the pavement. No tire marks or anything. There weren't any security cameras nearby. We're sitting on the hope she wakes up." Jane went on, shaking her head. She hated cases like this, and for not having any cases in the past few months to come up with one as dry as this, it frustrated her to no end.

"At least we have a name." Claire piped up from her desk. Alice glanced over, sliding back in her wheeled chair to see.

"Adrijana Belic," Claire continued, reading off the report in her hand. "They found her wallet across the street from where she was hit. Lives on the east side."

"Any family?"

"Nothing so far," Claire shook her head, glancing over the photo on the licence. "She's been living here for a while, found her immigration stats. Emigrated here eight years ago from Eastern Europe, went to college here. Now works in an office for a local business." Claire set the report down on her desk, and finished off the coffee in her mug. "Wrong place at the wrong time."

"Poor girl." Alice stood up, and went to head down to the café for lunch. "I'll be back."

* * *

Once Alice was gone, noting Jane had left as well, probably heading off for the morgue to visit Dr. Isles, Frost took the opportunity to slide over from his chair to Alice's desk in order to get closer to Claire's. "It's a shame about this woman. Young, getting a life under her, and then out of the blue, she gets hit."  
"What I wonder though, was what she was doing on this side of town when she lives a good twenty minute drive across town." Claire glanced over to Frost, an inquisitive look in her eyes. Frost shrugged, adjusting his grey suit jacket and tie.

"Maybe she had a friend she was visiting, or going back to her own car when she got hit first." Frost suggested. "I'm sure all will come out."

"Let's just hope she wakes up." Claire replied, noting Frost had travelled the room to sit down next to her.

"Listen, Claire, this may or may not be the greatest time to ask, but until this girl wakes up, we're not going to be doing much. So, you free to go out for dinner sometime?" Claire arched a brow at Frost's question, and moved to say something, then paused, mouth half-way open.

"Uh… sure, that'd be… um, nice. Yeah. Tonight?"

"Sure." Frost replied with a smile. "Right from work or would you want to go home first?"

"You can uh… pick me up for six, if that's all right." She then reached for the sticky notes on her desk, quickly jotting down her address for the man with a pen before ripping it off and handing it to him. It wasn't often she was asked out to dinner, but by someone like Frost, it kind of intrigued her. Before he took the note from her hand, she held it back for a moment.

"I… don't even know your first name. I mean, everyone calls you Frost around here, even Jane." Frost began to laugh, a smile filling his face.

"It's Barry." He answered her, shrugging. "Never really stuck around here. Easier to just say Frost and be done with it."

"Well, _Barry_, I'll see you tonight then."

"Any restaurant you like in particular?"

"I enjoy surprises."

"Surprise it is." Frost said before sliding back past Alice's desk, then to his own, smiling at the recent picture Alice had put on her desk of her and her daughter. He took the sticky note, then added Claire's address into his phone where he had her contact number down already for work. He glanced up as Alice walked back in, carting a sandwich in one hand, and a Pepsi in the other, chewing some gum to rid herself of her smoker's breath. He met her gaze, tilting his head in Claire's direction, and then winked. Alice took a second then nodded at his silent communication, understanding what he meant. Step one of their plan had been set in motion.

* * *

After work, Frost had quickly gone home to do a few errands before cleaning up, dressing in a dark purple dress shirt with black trousers and a leather belt, shaving and applying cologne before he went to pick up Claire. For Alice's sake, he had to make this seem serious. If things didn't go over well, and their plan foiled, and Claire actually was interested in him, he'd have to call Alice to devise something else up between them to solve the problem. Though with the way Claire had been with Alice lately, he was sure that there was more to Claire's intentions than she was letting on. Once he picked her up, noting she had dressed up in a light blue and red flower print dress, held to her curved waist with a khaki belt, and nude coloured pumps, he smiled, opening up the door to his car's passenger side for her.

"Well, thank you, Barry." She said with a polite tone to her voice, taking a seat. The rest of the drive to the restaurant he had in mind didn't take long, and soon, picking up the reservation he had made, they were seated off in a booth away from the mainly busy parts of the place, and the noise that went with it. It was a classy steakhouse. It wasn't a requirement to dress up, though most people who went there often did. Seeing what they wore, the pair fit right in.

* * *

"Would you care for red or white wine?" Frost asked, and Claire glanced up from her menu, hair straightened for the night.

"Actually, I think beer would be better suited, if that's all right with you."

"Oh, yeah, of course." Frost replied, setting the wine list menu down. He already knew what he was going to have; the classic special with an 8 ounce steak, baked potato, and vegetables. Claire took another moment to decide before settling on a sirloin steak. The waiter came and took their orders, leaving them to get their drinks. "So," Frost paused, trying to think of good conversation starters. "Do you feel more at home here in Boston now?"

"Yeah, actually. I finally finished up renovating my apartment and painting everything the way I wanted it. Feels homey now. Have you been here all your life?"

"Pretty much. My father is in the Navy, and for a while, we went from base to base with him, but my mom got fed up and we settled back home. Been here ever since."

"It's a beautiful city, I'll admit. Though I kind of miss Raccoon City's simplicity and pristine."

"You and Alice both, I've heard, though her story's a little iffier about it."

"Oh?" Claire was now intrigued, both at the fact Frost was talking about Alice, and about her past. She knew she had her ex-husband and all that, but she still didn't know every single detail, and probably never would.

"Says it's a nice place, but with her ex-husband bein' from there, it brings back a lot of bad memories and all that."

"I figured as much. Though of all places to go, she sure made a good choice." Claire smiled, and soon the waiter appeared with their glasses of beers. Frost lifted his.

"Cheers?"

"Cheers." She gently clinked her glass against Frost's before taking a gentle sip of the on tap beer provided by the restaurant. It wasn't bad for a seven dollar beer."You and Alice seem to be pretty good friends."

"Yeah, we're cool." Frost responded, finding it interesting how Claire continued wanting to talk about the other woman. "Her and Jane when she first showed up though, had some pretty nasty spats."

"I can imagine. They're the same kind of woman, really."

"Yeah? How so?"

"Well," Claire played it off, sipping her beer. She wasn't trying to make it obvious, though she wondered what Frost's true intentions were bringing this up. "Both very… alpha female-esque. They take charge of what they want to do, and they do it."

"And you're not like that yourself?" Frost quipped, leaning forward on the table, very curious to hear the redhead's answer to that one. Claire bit her lip for a moment, realising where this had led to.

"Oh, I am. I'm just not as aggressive about it. They'll fight each other to the death, and that's when I come in to take the lead when no one else is left standing."

"So a strategist?"

"Exactly." Claire replied smugly. Her mind couldn't help but to picture Alice and Jane actually duking it out against each other. She wondered who would win, noticing Frost was looking at her once more.

* * *

"You were thinking about the two of them fighting, weren't you?"

"Yeah," She admitted. "Who would your bet be on?"

"It's hard to say. Jane's got her cop training, so does Alice. Jane's got the height advantage, but Alice has that tough and scrappy Detroit attitude. Though she smokes, so that could put her down." Frost began to laugh at the thought.

"I… I'd still say Alice. She might be that smoker, but she's tough as nails, doesn't take any shit." Claire continued on, and Frost still listened intently, inwardly grinning like a fool. He could tell, just from the way Claire was talking about Alice that there was something more than just being friends with her.

"Well, we'll have to place bets sometime, huh?" He chuckled deeply, and finally, their dinner came. The rest of their meal was spent eating, and finishing off their beers, leaving them both too full for dessert. Frost of course, paid for everything, and as they were walking out in the parking lot towards his car, Claire stopped for a moment to adjust the belt around her waist, loosening it slightly.

* * *

"You all right?" Frost asked, leaning back against the dark sedan. He was genuinely concerned for the woman, if there was something wrong. But a quick flash of her bright smile told him otherwise.

"Sorry, I'm just… really full. Had to loosen it up a bit." She walked over to the car, and Frost, knowing he had to really act the part in order to make this work met her gaze and held it for quite a while. He then of course opened the door and let her in before going around to the driver's side, driving to drop her off at her apartment complex.

"Here, let me walk you up." Frost offered kindly.

"Oh, you don't have to. Really, it's… it's fine."

"No, no, come on… I've seen a lot happen to girls who didn't get walked up, and I'd rather you not be one of them."

"You've been around the block a few times, haven't you?" Claire smiled at the thought as he nodded. Both of them soon headed up the three flights of stairs to her old apartment, and as she reached the door, she stopped before pulling her keys out of her purse. "Well, this was very nice, Barry."

"I'm glad." He said, remaining close by. His dark eyes drifted to her lips for a moment, as did hers to his and before another word could be said, Frost leaned in to kiss Claire. It only lasted for a few seconds, and Claire tried her damned hardest not to make a squirming face. It wasn't that he couldn't kiss, but it just felt so wrong. He stepped back after lingering for a moment, eyes half closed, wondering if this was the make or break point.

* * *

"Listen," Claire began and met Frost's glance. "Barry, this was nice, dinner was lovely, but…"

"You're not interested?"

"No, I um…"

"There someone else?"

"I-" Claire felt her face go slightly pink. "Er, uh…. Sort of. It's kinda in the works. Um. You're a great guy, don't get me wrong. If I was, you know, interested in… your gender, I would totally go out with you. But um…"

"You dig chicks. That's cool." Frost shrugged it off, acting as if he didn't know that fact already. Claire let out a sigh of relief, hand on her door knob.

"Well, I should let you get home. Thanks again, Barry. It was… really sweet of you."

"Anytime." He nodded before leaving down the three flights of stairs after Claire went inside. He took out his phone when he got to his car, glad Claire wouldn't be able to see him still sitting here from her window considering the parking lot was behind the building. He dialled Alice, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel.

* * *

"Hello?" Alice grabbed her phone from her bedside table just as she herself went to sit down with a book and a cup of tea.

"It's me, Frost. So, let me tell you. You owe me one steak dinner and a seven dollar beer."

"What?" Alice arched a brow, flopping down into her sea of pillows and fluffy comforter.

"Your girl Claire… totally in to you."

"Oh! I mean, oh… well, how do you know?" Frost then began explaining to Alice the circumstances of his date with the redhead and her last little blurb when he went to kiss her goodnight. Alice felt her smirk crawling over her lips, seeing Jill pass by her door, waving good night. It wasn't too late, but Jill liked going to bed early to rise early. "That's really… I fuckin' owe you big time, man. Seriously. Oh, hold on, I've got a call on the other line. Stay put." Alice then hit the 'talk' button on her phone, tugging her sheets up over her bare legs, right over her shorts. "Hello?"

"Hey, it's Claire." A familiar voice came across the line, and Alice was even more intrigued.

"Since when do we call each other after hours now?"

"Listen. You know how when we first met, you asked if I wanted to 'take advantage'?"

"Um," Alice paused, remembering her words from their conversation so many months ago. "Well, yes… what about it?"

"How about instead of just our drinks tomorrow night, we actually go somewhere a little… different?"

"Are you asking me out?" The other end went silent on the phone, and Alice felt her anticipation growing, ignoring her warm tea going cold.

"Yes." Came Claire's simple response, and Alice felt her heart rate increase slightly.

"Well then. I'll see you tomorrow."

"Good night, Alice."

* * *

"G'night." Alice then hung up, and switched back over to Frost. "You still there?"

"Yep, drove home in all that time."

"Well look at you. Seriously. I… she called me."

"She did?" Frost exclaimed, stepping into his front door, phone to his ear. It was half past nine when he set his keys down on the counter and sat down at his kitchen table. "That's… and?"

"She asked me out for tomorrow." Alice said proudly, realising just what that could entail. Frost made an arm motion to express his success.

"Damn, Alice. You owe me, big time."

"Oh I know I do, Frost. Trust me, I'll find a way. Thank you… so much for this."

"Now, if you could just find me a woman that isn't gay around these parts, that would be nice."

"Consider it done." Alice grinned devilishly as she saw Jill walk off down the hall to use the bathroom. "I might already have someone in mind."

"Excellent. See you tomorrow."

"G'night, Frost."


	17. Sweeter Than Heaven, Hotter Than Hell

**A/N: Well, this chapter's pretty lengthy, though it's all entirely worth it. The title of this chapter is derived from a song called 'Drumming Song' by Florence + The Machine, which if you go on youtube and type in 'Alice & Claire| Drumming song' you'll find a tribute video to Clairice Aberfield with it. **

**In other words, this chapter goes out to Brit & Kris who always end up fangirling over the chapters on tumblr, and it makes me feel special. Love you two. **

**Anyway, read, enjoy, and review. **

**Side notes:**

**1) The Serbian used in this chapter is written as how you would say it, not written in Cyrillic letters. Thanks to 'The Rose', who is Serbian, the translations are 100% correct. Thanks again! :') Annnd yes, I was inspired by last week's episode of Rizzoli & Isles and the fact that Maura can speak it. (Considering Sasha Alexander can do so naturally, I'm not surprised they threw it in there.)**

**2) There's smut in this chapter. Thought I'd let you know. ;)**

* * *

**Chapter Sixteen: Sweeter Than Heaven; Hotter Than Hell**

"You're oddly smiley this early in the morning." Jill pointed out as she poured her and Alice mugs of coffee. Alice mixed in her sugar, and sat up at the table, reading the morning paper. Her eyes only flicked up once to meet Jill's grey ones, and she continued to hold her fool's grin.

"I have my reasons."

"Go on." Jill pushed, genuinely curious about Alice's good mood this early in the morning. Alice continued to read the paper without much fuss.

"I got asked out last night."

"What?" Jill's jaw fell a little, eyes glinting in the sunlight coming in from the window. "Do tell!"

"Oh you should know who it is." Alice replied again, turning the page, only pausing in her reading to take a swig of her coffee. She was up extra early, and had plenty of time to get ready for work.

"It better not be Rain," Jill warned, a threat still hovering on her breath.

"No!" Alice shot back. "We're staying friends, she and I. Try again."

"Um… Claire?"

"And we have a winner, Sherlock." Alice smiled again, the image of Claire popping into her head. Jill's jaw still fell a little, and nudged Alice in the arm to get her to look her way.

"Well, look at you. When are you going out?"

"Like we always do, tonight. But she wanted to change it up a little bit."

"Good for you, Alice. Now just… keep it quiet if you come home tonight." Jill teased, earning her a slight kick to the shin from Alice's bare foot under the table. "Seriously, you know Izzie's not a heavy sleeper, neither am I. So… be polite."

"I don't know if it'll go that far."

"Alice, she's already slept with you. It's not like you'll need any more of these dates to really get to know her better."

"They were just friendly dates." Alice said in response, folding up the paper even though she wasn't finished with it just yet.

"Oh come on, are you really that blonde, Alice?" Jill teased again, moving as Alice nearly swatted her with her newspaper.

"I didn't want to make assumptions, but I guess I'm a bit of a fool for thinking there weren't any other reasons for her wanting to have drinks with me every week."Alice replied sitting back down to fully enjoy her coffee when Izzie walked out down the hall, still in her pajamas. "Good morning, hun." Alice smiled as Izzie padded over for a hug to her mother. Alice kissed her head and ruffled her messy bedhead hair. "You're up early."

"Yeah, the birds outside woke me up." She yawned, and curled up into Alice's lap in her chair. Alice put her arm around her daughter's middle to hold her.

"You've got an extra half an hour. Why don't you take a nice warm shower to wake you up, huh?"

"Mmm." Izzie mumbled, closing her bright blue eyes, arms wrapping around Alice's shoulders. Jill felt her smile grow across her face as she admired the two together.

* * *

"You still thinking about having a kid someday, Jill?" Alice asked. Jill shrugged, running a hand through her hair that had grown out quite a bit, and put it back into a pony tail with the elastic around her wrist.

"Find me the right guy, and I might." Jill replied casually. "I don't want a huge wedding, but a wedding of some kind. You'll be my maid of honour of course. Izzie the flower girl if it's any time in the near future, otherwise another bridesmaid."

"You've put some thought into it. Sounds nice." Alice replied. "But whatever you do, don't pick some gaudy colour for the bridesmaids' dresses."

"Blue's nice, or purple." Jill responded, sipping more of her coffee, nibbling on her bagel.

"So, you and Chris, that's really not a thing?"

"Alice, no. I've told you, Chris and I… we're just partners. Besides, you're dating his sister now. It'd be too weird for me to date him. He's a bit… meat headed sometimes. He's a good guy, but not for me."

"Hrm." Alice purses her lips, noting Izzie had glanced up at the mention of the word dating.

"Mama, you're dating again?"

"Yeah." She smiled, nuzzling her forehead. "Her name's Claire. She's a really nice girl."

"That's – " Izzie yawned again, and put her head back down against Alice's shoulder. "Good. I'm happy if you're happy, mama."

"Thanks, baby girl. Anyway, Jill, would you be up for a potential blind date?"

"What? Um… why?"

"Because I know someone you might like."

"Look, I've got my transfer to finally work the beat here. He's got to be able to understand the fact that my job comes first ahead of anything else right now."

"Oh, trust me, he'll completely understand."

"Alice, it better not be some creep like the last time you tried to set me up." Jill warned, wagging her finger in Alice's direction. Alice laughed a little.

"Really, he's not a creep. Not at all. Just let me know if you're interested."

"All right, we'll see. Tell him I'm free Saturday."

"Done."

* * *

Still sound asleep, Jane barely stirred in her bed, raven hair spread out in waves and masses amongst white sheets. She gripped the pillow beneath her head, and curled up tighter. However, her bedroom door soon opened and Angela strolled in, dropping a pile of towels and clothes on the bed. Jane sprung up, bleary eyed and partially alert. "Ma!" She cried out. "You ever hear of knocking? Jeez!" Angela shrugged, glancing at the clock on the bedside table.

"You're going to be late for work if you don't get up and put all your laundry away. The things I do for you and Frankie and Tommy, and yet I don't hear a single word of thanks."

"Ma, why do you have to come in so early?" Jane swung her long legs out of bed, rubbing her eyes.

"Because I do before I go off to work, just like you, Janie." Angela stood in the doorway. "Now if you hurry up, I'll make you breakfast." Jane stood up, grabbing clothes fresh off the pile to dress in.

"Thanks, ma." Jane gave her mother a kiss on the cheek before tugging on her trousers, tucking in her tank top. Angela went to Jane's kitchen and began getting out eggs and bacon to cook up when Jane's phone began ringing.

"Oh not already, Jane!"

"Hold on, Ma." Jane hobbled over, buckling up her trousers, and answered it. "Rizzoli." She listened to Maura's voice on the other end. "Right, I'll be there." She hung up, much to her mother's dismay.

"You gotta go, don't you?" Angela set down the carton of eggs, and put them back into the fridge when Jane nodded, tying back her hair into a pony tail.

"Maura just got a call from Mass Gen. Our hit and run victim, Adrijana, is awake and speaking nothing but Serbian."

* * *

"De sam ja? Sta se desava?" The brunette in the bed's eyes went wide, glancing between the four detectives and the chief medical examiner who had since joined her in the small intensive care unit room. Her head was wrapped in a bandage, and numerous bruises and cuts littered her upper body and legs. Maura was right by her side.

"Maura, how do you know Serbian?" Jane questioned. Maura turned back to look at Jane.

"It's an easy language to learn."

"Sure, Maura. What did she say?"

"She's wondering where she is and what happened to her." Maura then turned back and said in a soft voice to reassure the woman that things were okay, and where she was. It all came out like gibberish to the detectives.

"Ask her about the driver." Alice said softly, taking a seat in one of the chairs at the side of the room, joining Claire beside her. Maura asked the question, and Adrijana glanced between them, speaking softly.

"Sve sto se secam ye da ye bio beo covec sto vozio crni auto." Adrijana explained, glancing to her translator, her saving grace in the situation. Maura reached for the girl's hand, nodding along. Jane stood, baffled, waiting for a translation from the honey-blonde.

"Well?"

"She said it was a black car, and a Caucasian male. That's all she remembered before she was hit." Maura sighed, returning the squeeze of her hand to reassure Adrijana.

"Nemoj da se brines, sve ce biti uredu. Nacicemo ga." Maura told her softly before slowly standing up to join the detectives' sides.

"What'd you say?" Alice asked, brows arching.

"I told her everything will be okay and that we'll find the man who hit her. Which we will, won't we?" Maura glanced between the detectives, and each one nodded.

"It's a hell of a long shot, but…" Alice stood up, crossing her arms.

"Something will come up. Always does." Claire said as she walked past Alice to head for the door, shoulder brushing past Alice's. The blonde watched on as Claire and the others walked out into the hall.

* * *

"Why is she speaking nothing but Serbian if she's been here nearly a decade? Clearly, she would know how to speak English." Frost pointed out. "Something's up with that."

"Well, it is possible that the damage she sustained to her head affected the part of the brain which controls languages." Maura added, pressing out a fold in her grey skirt. "The induced coma may not have lasted long enough for that part to heal just yet."

"So you're saying, we could be dealing with this woman speaking a foreign language while also having memory problems for, what weeks? Months?" Jane sighed, shaking her head. Maura gave the detectives a sympathetic look.

"There's not much else the doctors can do besides wait." Hazel eyes flicked to Jane's gaze, and Jane straightened up, her thumbs hooked on her belt hoops.  
"At least she's alive." Jane said dismissively before turning on her heel to head for the elevator, Maura toting along behind her, heels clacking on the off-white linoleum floor.

* * *

After heading back to the precinct, pretty near empty handed besides the statement translated by Maura, Alice sat down at her desk, drumming her fingers along the wood grain. She finished up more paperwork, only happening to glance up as Claire walked by to throw out the garbage from her lunch. Alice smiled a little, wondering just what their date would entail later. She wondered what Claire had on her mind for something 'more'; whether it would be a movie, or restaurant or something, she was unsure. It was hard to tell, considering Claire seemed to be a little on the spontaneous side. Claire caught Alice looking her way, and as she walked past her desk, she gave the older woman a wink before returning to her own spot. Frost glanced to Alice, giving her a look, and that was when she slid over in her chair.

"I have you a blind date. You free Saturday?"

"Yeah, yeah I'm good for Saturday night. Who's the girl?"

"Oh, you'll see. You have a few things in common." Alice hinted. "I'll send her to the Robber. Meet her there for say about, eight o'clock, and buy her a Rum and Coke."

"Rum and Coke at the Robber for eight. Got it." Frost smiled brightly at his prospective date, wondering who the hell Alice had found to be so willing so soon. He after all, had just asked her to return the favour last night. "Thanks, Alice."

"No problem." Alice said, gnawing on the end of her pen as her gaze drifted towards Claire's desk again, eyeing up her body yet again. "Not a problem at all."

* * *

"Just remember," Jill gave Alice another look as the dirty blonde bustled through her closet, trying to find something decent to wear out. "Keep it down, all right?"

"Yeah, yeah… look, you good for that blind date at the Robber for 8pm?"

"Oh uh… yeah." Jill replied, folding her arms over her chest, wearing just a grey work out shirt and dark slim fit yoga pants. "Who's the guy?"

"I know him from work." Alice said as she continued to gather different articles of clothing off her multi-coloured hangers in her closet, slipping them over her left arm while she continued to search with her right. "Which one? The red or the navy?" She held up two button down shirts, one on each arm to Jill. The brunette shook her head.

"You're seriously going to wear a flashier version of what you wear to work for this date? C'mon, show a little more, y'know. First of all, wear those jeans that you wore to the S.T.A.R.S. Christmas party last year. The dark ones." Alice set her shirts down on her bed, then went into her closet again, and fished the jeans she knew Jill was talking about and snagged them off the hanger. They were slim fit, boot cut, and low rise, and Alice knew Jill was right about them.

"All right, and what do you suggest I wear for a shirt?" She said dryly, expecting more advice from her best friend. Jill held up her finger to suggest Alice wait for a moment before she turned for her own bedroom, going to the dresser where she had her clothes neatly folded and tucked away. She went through a few articles before finding something that would suit Alice just fine.

* * *

"You can't be serious." Alice said skeptically as she looked at the thin red shirt that Jill had laid out for her. It had spaghetti straps, and was just a simple shirt, but it was low cut.

"Red suits you, and come on. It's not like you have man shoulders or something to be ashamed of. Wear that, and toss your leather jacket over it, and you'll be looking fine. Oh and wear boots to go with those jeans. Did you think about matching lingerie?"

"Jill! You're treating me like I've never been on a date in my life." Alice rolled her eyes. "Of course I was going for the matching lingerie even though I'm not convinced it'll go that far after one date."

"Stop lying to yourself. Clearly, she wants you…" Jill smirked. "And what are you doing with your hair?" Alice paced the room again, shooting Jill a glance.

"Where's Jill and what have you done with her?"

"Look, I know I'm going into sister mode here, but I just want you to have a good time. Maybe then you'll be a little less moody." Jill teased, sticking out her tongue childishly before Alice tossed the shirt she was wearing off her body towards Jill to shoo her away.

"Go on, get! I'll figure my hair out after!" Laughing, Jill shut the door behind her, and stood out in the hall, waiting for Alice to get dressed. When the woman came out of her bedroom, Jill did the once over, followed by a nod of approval.

"We should straighten that hair of yours."

"Er, I'm fine with the way it is, thanks."

"C'mon, you'd look good."

"No… besides, the curls and waves, they suit me just fine."

"Whatever you say. Besides, I think that's your date that just pulled up on a big silver Harley out front."

"What?" Alice arched a brow, then headed over to the window where Izzie was now standing. She glanced out and sure enough, the rider of the big bike had just stepped off, removing her helmet to let her flowing red hair out. Izzie glanced to her mother with a smile.

"Is that your girlfriend, mama?"

"Yeah, yeah that's her. Her name's Claire."

"She's got a cool motorcycle."

"Yeah," Alice smirked, having no idea that Claire rode until then. "She sure does. I'll see you tomorrow morning, Iz. I won't be home until you're in bed." Alice then gave her daughter a hug and a kiss before grabbing her black leather jacket out of the hallway closet, and stuffed her feet into a pair of black boots to match. Jill gave her a wave as she walked out the door and down the apartment complex stairs. Claire was leaning against the wall of the outside of the apartment when Alice finally joined her.

* * *

"Hope you don't mind that I brought the bike." Claire said, offering an extra black helmet out to Alice. "Though I see you're dressed well for it." She glanced over Alice as she took the helmet in her hands. Both women began heading for the bike parked on the side of the street.

"This wasn't intentional. I had no idea you rode. That's a big Harley you've got. Heritage Softail?"

"It started off that way." Claire explained, tucking in her hair into her helmet again when she put it on. She was surprised herself that Alice even recognised the type of motorcycle she had on her. "Then I tore apart the engine, put in a better block and transmission, and readjusted the frame. She's my pride and joy."  
"And you haven't been riding it to work?"

"No, as much as I'd like to, there's really no place for it." Claire said before straddling the silver motorcycle, boots on the pavement to steady it as she kicked away the kick stand. Alice slowly manoeuvered herself onto the back of the bike while she finished tucking in the chin strap of her helmet. It didn't have a face mask, but still did the job. Claire turned to her before starting the bike. "You ready?"

"You bet." Alice smiled, before draping her arms around Claire's waist as she then put the clutch in, and started the bike up. The engine rumbled between her legs, and soon enough, the pair was off for their date.

* * *

A good hour went by on the back of Claire's motorcycle before they had gone outside of the city a ways, the sun setting in the distance. It was just starting to get dark when Claire pulled up to the entrance of the Mendon drive in theatre, slowing up when she saw a large sign across the gate. She pulled up, and cut the engine to the bike, kicking out the stand before dismounting to go read the sign. Alice stood up for a moment to stretch her legs. After all, it had been a long time since she had been on a bike, let alone for an hour at a time.

"Gone out of business? Are you kidding me?" Claire scoffed, running her hand through her hair as she took off her helmet again to let her head breathe a little. The air was warm with slight humidity. Alice approached the sign, reading it for herself. The drive in itself appeared to still be in good shape, but it was absolutely abandoned with no other people around. The gates however were locked with a thick chain and a rather large padlock. "Well that's just a great date ruiner."

"Hey, this isn't your fault. Besides, it was a nice drive out in the Massachusetts countryside with you." Alice glanced to her watch. It was now quarter to nine. She glanced up to meet Claire's green eyes which were quite brought out by the red of her jacket. She too was wearing jeans, though hers were almost white washed blue. "Say, what if we came back to my place, watch some TV or put in a movie, and have a few beers?" Alice suggested openly, wondering if Claire would be up for the idea. It wasn't usually 'first date' material, but then again, thinking back to what Jill said, this wasn't exactly a first date either. Claire's smirk tugged at her lips as the frustration from the drive in being shut down faded from her face, her eyes glinting in the dull light of the evening.

"That sounds lovely."

* * *

"Find anything?" Alice asked Claire as she brought over two green glass bottles of beer, setting them down on coasters on her coffee table. It was now nearly ten thirty, and both Jill and Izzie had long gone off to bed. With the TV on quietly, Claire sat in the corner of the couch, socked feet tucked up under her curled legs, leaning against the arm. She was flicking through the channels, finally settling on some film that had just started fifteen minutes ago.

"This'll do." She replied, reaching forward for her beer. She had taken off her jacket, leaving her in just a slim fit black tee shirt. Alice sat down on the other end of the couch, leaving one couch cushion's space between them, her eyes drifting over Claire's form before going to the television. It was some romantic comedy film that had been airing on television for quite some time, and Alice deduced she had probably seen bits and pieces of it. She sat silently, listening to the dialogue while sipping her beer casually, leaning back into the soft material of the couch. Claire did much the same, finishing her beer soon afterwards, setting the bottle down; satisfied with the brand Alice had given her with its light but still evident taste remaining on her tongue. Alice finished hers, and looked to Claire.

"You want another one?"

"Well," Claire paused for a moment, pretending to glance at the wall clock, though her eyes didn't stay long enough to actually see what time it was. "If I had another one, I might have to stay overnight…" She held Alice's gaze for a long moment, sensually biting her lower lip. Alice froze up for a second, then arched one eyebrow at the proposition that Claire had just thrown out there. "If…" Claire began to shift closer to Alice by sliding down the couch, occupying the next cushion over. Alice continued to watch on curiously. "That's not a problem with you…"

"N-n-no not at… not at all…" Alice whispered, and soon Claire had moved off the couch to readjust herself to begin straddling Alice, pressing her lips down crushingly against the blonde's. Alice let her bare arms snake around Claire's waist, down to her sides of her hips to grip onto her loose belt hoops, continuing to return the kiss. Tongues soon came into play, melding in each other's mouths. Claire let out a soft moan, and that was when Alice pulled back. "Shh… we've gotta be quiet…"

"Sorry…" Claire panted, forehead pressed against Alice's, noses touching. "Should we… should we go to your room?"

"C'mon…"

* * *

By the time the pair had stumbled into Alice's bedroom, being careful to not only close the door, but to lock it as well, clothes were discarded in a trail from said door right to the bed. Alice fell back, left in her bra and matching underwear in bright red while Claire as straddling her again, left in all but a pair of black lacy briefs. The redhead slowly shimmied her last article of clothing off her body, letting Alice get a good view of her this time, now that both were mostly sober and would remember what the other looked like afterwards. She laid down against Alice, kissing her neck, lavishing her with kisses all the way down her torso, sliding hands beneath her to unclasp her bra, tossing it away behind her. Deft hands moved to do the same with Alice's panties, lips pressing against her toned stomach. Alice bit her lip hard to keep herself silent, though it was becoming progressively harder and harder to do with every single touch that Claire had against her skin. She couldn't help but feel tingling sensations shoot through her nerves. Whatever it was about Claire, her body was in top agreement with it.

Shifting position, Claire moved to set herself between Alice's legs, grinding up against her warm mound. She started off at a tedious pace, eventually building up momentum to the point where she felt her arousal peaking. Alice gripped her bedcovers in an attempt to keep from letting any sounds out from her mouth, and turned her head to the side to at least moan into the mattress if she had to. At this point, her need to express the pleasure she was feeling was becoming desperate. She let a low moan escape, muffled by the mattress, though still audible. Claire smiled as she continued on grinding against Alice, wanting her to finish first. It wasn't long, with more stifled moans, and bucking of her hips, that Alice hit her climax first, a small whimper coming from her lips. Claire slid down over her body to silence her lover by kissing her deeply, shoving her tongue in Alice's mouth without asking, being oddly successful in being quiet. She had to be, as Alice told her, and she damn well would live up to that.

When Alice recovered long enough, she moved over Claire, taking control of their love making session, moving on top of the redhead. She slithered down her body, glancing up as she used her tongue to tease the inside of Claire's taut thighs, hands gripping her hips steadily. "Stay quiet…" She whispered haughtily, one wicked smirk crossing her lips as she uttered the challenge to Claire, who nodded, grabbing the pillow beside her to let out any and all moans caused as Alice began to ravish her, again, and again.

* * *

Jill was sound asleep, tucked deeply into her mass of covers when suddenly, she jolted awake after hearing a rather ominous thud hit the wall. She sat up, reaching for the pocket knife she kept on her bedside table, glancing to the window, then to the door. When she realised no one was there, she sat for a minute, heartbeat calming down enough to stop beating in her ears so she could listen. What she then heard from the room right next to hers didn't surprise her, and only shook her head before sliding back down into bed, rolling over to go back to sleep.

* * *

"That… was amazing…" Claire panted, coming down from her orgasmic high as Alice moved to sleep on the right hand side of her bed as always. She smiled, proud of her efforts.

"You're pretty amazing too, you know…" She grinned, laying on her side. Claire soon rolled onto her right side, and pressed her bare back against Alice's front, feeling strong arms wrap around her middle as the comforter was tucked over them. Alice pressed her lips to Claire's neck, and jawline from behind before kissing her cheek."So… are we… official yet? I mean after all those times we've gone out together…"

"Yes, Alice…" Claire smiled sweetly, taking Alice's hand in her own, holding it close to her chest. "I'd like that."


	18. Calm Before The Storm

**A/N: To the anonymous person who reviewed about my lack of Rizzles in the story thus far. **

**First of all, I'd just like to ask you this; have you ever heard of the phrase, "Good things come to those that wait."? No? I didn't think so. This fiction has another 3 chapters plus an epilogue left to be written. If you haven't noticed, I've tossed in numerous Jane and Maura moments just like in the show because heaven forbid that I use Character Development in a fiction instead of just pure romance right off the bat. These characters at this point are still friends; their feelings haven't developed for reasons such as coming to terms with sexuality along with love, both of which I know from experience are very difficult to make decisions about.**

** Secondly, the reason the relationship between Alice & Claire has been focused on is because both are clearly open about being lesbian, and thus, want that relationship as of this point. Jane still needs to come to terms with herself, which if you waited for this next chapter, you would have found more out about that fact. I find your review rather rude in the sense that you're saying I'm going back on my word when I said that there would be EVENTUAL Rizzles, meaning 'eventually it will happen'. Who's to say that I won't have the big Rizzles moment at the end of the story? Hm? So, before you go accusing me of not following up to the description of this story, and stating that those who ship Rizzles are all 'bored' and 'disappointed', wait until I'm done my goddamn story first the way I want to write it. And for fuck sakes, it's spelled Claire, _not_ Clair.**

**Sorry, but I felt a need to really add further explanation for those that feel the same way. To everyone else who enjoys this story, I love you fans. **

**Read, Enjoy, review.**

* * *

**Chapter Seventeen: Calm Before The Storm**

"Maura, how come you don't have any instant coffee whatsoever?" Jane scoffed as she closed up the cupboard in Maura's kitchen, leaning back against the counter, not pleased.

"Because I prefer making coffee right from the beans. It gives a more refined flavour, and you can truly taste each kind of coffee bean that way." Maura replied, in the process of taking the grinded beans out of the machine, and into her percolator. Jane shook her head in disbelief.

"Well, whatever. You gonna make enough for me too?" Jane asked, craving her caffeine fix after their morning yoga session.

"Of course, Jane. Why wouldn't I?" Maura inquired in response. Jane felt a lofty smile cross her lips.

"I thought you wouldn't want to share your fancy-dancy coffee with me." Jane replied softly, admiring the fact that even after an intense yoga class, Maura still managed to look fit enough to walk down a fashion runway in New York, or Paris, or anywhere else in the world. She had always admired that about Maura, even though it wasn't something that she personally could ever pull off.

"That's silly, Jane. Of course I'd share my coffee regardless. You're a guest in my house, not to mention my best friend." Maura let the coffee maker sit on top of her stove before moving over to Jane's side. "It'd be rude of me if I didn't let you."

"Okay, I get it." Jane replied with a gentle shoulder nudge, to which Maura gave one back.

"Hrm. I wonder where Alice was this morning for yoga. She hasn't missed one yet."

"Maybe she had something to do with her daughter or something." Jane shrugged, thinking of the young Izzie and the last time she had seen her was when Alice had gone off to do a thing about parents' jobs at her school, and Alice had swung by the station to grab one of the cruisers to show off for the kids with the sirens and computer.

"That's entirely possible, though I thought she would've texted or something." Maura shrugged, and then went over to the percolator when it had boiled for long enough. She grabbed the two burgundy mugs and poured the hot black coffee into them evenly, with enough room to add cream or milk if need be. Jane then helped herself, putting in both cream and sugar, stirring it while waiting for the liquid to cool down. "Though I'm sure she has an explanation."

"Yeah." Jane replied, brown eyes glancing over the edge of her mug. She bringing it to her lips to test out how hot it was, noting Maura did the same. "This is… good."

"I thought you might like the Columbian bean."

"It's coffee, Maur. All tastes the same to me."

"It's more… refined in taste than most coffees, giving a stronger, more definite taste." Maura smiled, wondering just what kind of coffee Jane would be if she was one. Rough tasting, with a bit of grind in the bottom of the mug, though something rich and thorough. She didn't let her mind wander too far, putting the thoughts to the back of her mind. "Any plans for the weekend?"

"Nah, I'll just be sitting at home watching the Sox game tonight. You uh… wanna come over or somethin'?" Jane offered sheepishly.

"Oh, sure. I didn't have much planned this weekend either besides some housework. I'd love to. Baseball is a fascinating sport."

"Fascinating?" Jane smiled at her friend's description of her favourite sport. Maura herself was a fascinating person, but Jane kept that thought to herself. "Yeah, that's one way to put it. Game starts at four." She glanced at her watch, yawning slightly before sipping more coffee. "I'll see you then." Jane said as she set down her mug into the sink, and caught Maura's hazel eyes staring in her direction. She moved her mouth to say something, and then just nodded before leaving Maura's house out of the front door. Something had her face flushing, and she wasn't sure quite what the source was, but something told her Maura's smoldering gaze was the culprit.

* * *

Claire had stirred from her sleep, feeling warmth against her back. She realised Alice had completely fallen asleep in the same spot with her arm tucked around Claire's middle. She realised it wasn't too early, but it wasn't quite late just yet, and wanted to go take a shower. Escaping the blonde's tight grasp, she padded out of the room, taking the sheets to wrap around her naked form. She then quietly moved from Alice's bedroom down the hall towards the bathroom, which luckily, the door was open and it was unoccupied. Once in the bathroom, she had the shower going after a minute to fiddle with the tap, leaving the sheet in the corner, making sure the door was nice and closed. Stepping in the shower, she let the water hit her skin, waking her up as she turned the tap up slightly to make it a little warmer. She reached for whatever shampoo was sitting on the little shelf against the wall, and began scrubbing it into her long auburn hair. A song she had heard once a long time ago from Alice's mixed CD in her car while on the job randomly sprang into her head. Not really realising it then, Claire began to absent mindedly sing Def Leppard in the shower. "Take your body, shake it up. Break the bubble, break it up. Pour some sugar on me, oooh in the name of love, pour some sugar on me…"

Alice stirred in her bed, already hearing the water running in the bathroom, signifying someone was already in the shower. Knowing Jill woke up much earlier and showered before 7:30am, she figured it had to be Claire, considering Alice now felt the lack of her warmth as she woke up. Getting out of bed, she threw on her white silky house coat and padded in bare feet over to the bathroom, slipping inside before dropping the house coat. Claire was still singing when Alice slipped into the shower behind her, clearing her throat. Claire jumped, nearly slipped, and put her hand on her chest afterwards, heart racing.

"Christ, Alice! Way to give me a heart attack!" She exclaimed, shaking her head. Alice continued with her Cheshire cat-like smile.

"You keep singing with that beautiful voice of yours, and you're going to wake my kid up."

"Sorry, it's a catchy song."

"I know it is." Alice replied, standing in closer behind the redhead, wrapping her slender arms around Claire's waist, pressing her chest to her back, planting a few kisses on her shoulder, then up to her neck. Claire smiled as she tilted her chin up to allow Alice more room to kiss her tender skin, and she leaned back into the woman she now considered her girlfriend. They had been dating officially since last night, though Claire couldn't help but feel that they had been together longer without actually having been a thing by means of their nights out together at the Robber. She just loved everything about Alice from her attitude, her intelligence, her looks, and the way she heard of how she took care of Isobella really tied it all together. Alice was one hell of a woman, and Claire was lucky to be able to be with her.

* * *

"You are distracting me from having a shower." Claire pointed out, still leaning into Alice's front as she continued to plant more kisses on her neck. It was sweet, and Claire couldn't help but to almost feel like melting on the spot.

"You don't have anywhere to go, do you?"

"No," Claire whispered, shuddering slightly as Alice let her tongue glide across her skin, teeth gently nipping the nape of her neck.

"Good." Alice purred, the water finally reaching her, the pair of them obviously soaking wet.

"Aren't you… going to explain to the other two occupants of the house what your deal is with me?"

"Another five minutes will be fine," Alice mumbled against her skin, hands sliding down her hips. Claire slowly turned in Alice's grasp, and took her hand, locking her fingers around Alice's before kissing the woman deeply, pushing Alice back against the tile wall. If they were going to spend five minutes together, alone in the shower, Claire wanted it to be well spent. Alice continued gently tugging on her lips between her teeth, her other hand getting lost in Claire's thick hair. After they broke for air, Alice simply smirked and then stepped out of the shower, drying off and wrapping the towel around her middle before going back to her room to get dressed for the day.

* * *

Walking in to the main room of the apartment, Jill had already made breakfast, shooting a glance down the hallway when she saw another woman, clearly Claire Redfield, walking in to the kitchen right behind Alice. Jill then slipped in another two slices of toast into the toaster over, and smiled. "Good morning, Alice… and Claire." She added, nodding in greeting to the redheaded woman whom she had not seen in quite a long time, not since Chris' last birthday party back in Raccoon. Trying not to be awkward, Jill went back to pouring the coffee from the pot into mugs.

"It's good to see you, Jill." Claire said simply, and then turned to Alice. "Look, I should just get going, uh…"

"Mama, is this your new girlfriend?" Alice slowly turned around, smiling at Izzie's blunt inquisition.

"Yes, this is Claire, Claire, my daughter, Izzie." Izzie then got up from the table, and gazed over the strange woman, a small toothy grin filling her face.

"You're pretty."

"Well, thank you, Izzie. You're pretty cute yourself." Izzie let out a small giggle and clung to her mother's hip. She looked to Alice, her hair still in dark messy curls around her face.

"Is she gonna move in?"

"Well, uh…" Alice bit her lip, wishing for times like these to not exactly happen, though she couldn't blame her daughter for being curious. "Not right now," She paused, looking to Claire for help in the matter.

"But maybe someday, we'll see." Claire added, and then fished out her keys to the bike. "I should get going."

"Yeah, I'll see you at work." Alice smiled, and then Izzie tugged on her sleeve. "Yes, Iz?"

"Can I go see Claire's big motorcycle? I wanna hear it start up."

"Well, you'll have to ask Claire."

"Claire," She turned to the other woman, and smiled really big. "Can I please go see your bike?"

"Sure. If your mom allows it, I can even give you a ride around the block." The exchange went back and forth, and soon enough, Izzie was dressed, and down the stairs with her mother's new girlfriend, Alice following behind as she watched Izzie start to bond with Claire. It was good that her daughter liked Claire off the bat, and seeing them together made her even happier that Claire liked her daughter too.

* * *

Standing in his one room crappy apartment, Spence Parks stood, glancing over the corkboard he had put up on the wall, taking up a good three feet squared. On it, were numerous articles of paper, photographs, and hand scrawled notes on white paper all pointing out the details he needed to suit his plan of revenge. Oh, it would be sweet, he thought, smirking as he stuck the final detail that he needed in order to complete his plan; his ex-wife's new address. It hadn't been too hard to find, after all, following her home in that blue Mustang of hers was not hard, especially since Spence could keep his distance and drive off in his inconspicuous black Dodge Rampage he had bought from the junkyard a few weeks prior. Sure, that one woman had gotten in his way when he was driving home in the middle of the night, but that didn't stop him. She was hit so hard; he figured she was dead, or at least, brain-dead. Whatever. It didn't matter. What did matter to Spence was getting his revenge.

He cleared his throat, standing in the tiny space he had for a bathroom which contained a very small shower and toilet, and an attached sink to the light blue tiled walls which had a layer of dirt and grime covering the wall entirely. He stood in the mirror, and decided to shave down the beard he had grown since Wesker had fired him as it had been necessary to be clean shaven for work. But now, he wanted his face to be recognised; he wanted Alice to be the one to see his reign of terror from the same face she married twelve years ago. He then took out a pair of clippers, plugging them in the haphazard electrical outlet and began to close crop shave his hair down to the number 4 setting. Taking a dab of after shave cologne, he rubbed it in his cheeks and neck; a bottle that Alice had bought him for Christmas in the last year they had been married. It had a thick smell, but it was an enjoyable and not a musky smell. She had quite enjoyed it, so he remembered. Stepping out of the bathroom, he grabbed his black leather jacket, sliding it over his grey tee shirt. He slid into an old worn pair of dark jeans, doing up the buckle, sliding his feet into comfortable shoes. Walking past the cork board, he tore the picture he had of him and his daughter off the tack, slipped it into his pocket, and went over to his bed where he had a small briefcase. Opening the rusty latches, he took out the pistol in the foam padding, and the matching silencer, screwing the metal attachment on, pulling back the slide on the gun. He held a shooter's stance, and then smiled, satisfied with the black market product he had purchased for just the job. Tucking them back in the case, he took it, and his keys, and headed out. Step one was in motion; step two would soon be underway.

* * *

"Oh come on!" Jane shouted at the television as the Red Sox were scored on yet again by the Toronto Blue Jays, bringing it up to a tie game. It was already the ninth inning, and now it meant that they were going in to extra innings. Maura had gone to the bathroom for a break and then brought over another glass of water for herself and a bottle of beer from Jane's fridge. She set them down on the coasters, and casually sat down right next to Jane, who had succumbed to just sulking in the corner of the couch, long arms flopped over the back and arm of the couch.

"How many extra innings is this now?" Maura inquired, sipping her water slowly. Jane glanced to the screen, quite annoyed with how the team was playing against the sole Canadian baseball team.

"We're in the twelfth, and every relief pitcher they're throwin' in is crap! Like, c'mon!" Jane huffed, yelling at the television again. Maura let out a laugh, and nudged Jane in the shoulder.

"It's not like anything you can say here behind a television screen can affect what the players in Fenway are doing right now, Jane."

"I don't care! They need to win! It's tied ten to ten! One hit, one hit's all they need." Jane glanced at the time. "It's already eight o'clock? Jeez, guys."

"Well, no one's really left the stadium, though with the way the Jays have been playing, they have had less errors and more homeruns than the Red Sox have, so in theory…"

"Don't…" Jane gave Maura a look, her face frozen in a serious stare, and Maura fell dead silent, all until Jane let her smile crack. "I'm kiddin', either way, it'll end but it'd be nice to win against these guys at least just once this series." Jane chuckled, and reached over past Maura to grab her beer, pausing as she caught Maura's gaze, the same one she had seen numerous times throughout their friendship, though this time, Jane had her beer and nearly dropped it, using the disturbance to clear her throat and sit back in her place on the couch. Maura remained quiet as she watched the game continue, though she noticed Jane's face had turned a lighter shade of red similar to her baseball shirt.

* * *

It hadn't taken Spence long to find out when Alice worked down at the police station, and then followed her home in his 80's era Dodge. Keeping his distance, she never noticed all the times he followed her home, watching, waiting to see which apartment was hers. After a few weeks, he even had gotten so bold as to park on the other side of the street and walk around back, peering in windows by use of the fire escape. Even at one point, he had found her bathroom window when she had gone into the shower, hidden by a thick white curtain. He had known then what he knew now; that was how he would get her. Parking his car in an easy to get away spot, he quickly locked the doors, and headed around the back of the apartment building, making his way up the fire escape. It was just starting to get dark out on a Saturday night, edging towards twenty after eight. People would be out on the town, away from the neighbourhood. Climbing up the stairs, he made sure not to make too much noise until he got to the right floor, and perched himself below the window sill; sitting to wait for his golden opportunity.

* * *

Alice had just finished up her evening at home workout routine in the middle of her living room, building up a sweat after doing many push ups, squats, sit ups, and a round on the small exercise bike she kept tucked away in the corner. She wiped at the sweat on her forehead, and then turned to Izzie who was sitting at the kitchen table with a colouring book and pencil crayons spread array on the top of the table. "I'm just gonna go shower, Iz."

"Okay, Mama." Izzie replied without her eyes once leaving the book before her. Alice then headed off to her bathroom, grabbing a towel from the hall closet on her way. Once in the bathroom with the door shut, she turned the water on, dropped her work out clothes and stepped in to the shower, tugging the curtain along the railing. She closed her eyes, letting the water hit her face, and just stood for a few minutes, letting the water go from cold to hot, soothing her tired muscles.

Spence glanced up upon hearing the water run. Her window was already partially open, and slowly, he pried it up, and slipped in, gun in hand. One leg over the ledge, and then the other, he crouched down, knowing that Alice had her back to him within the shower. Steadying his nerves, he counted five seconds in his head before sliding open the curtain from the back, butt of the pistol raised in his hand. Alice whipped around, jumping in shock, eyes wide just as Spence slammed the bottom of the pistol to the side of her head. She went grasping for the shower curtain, tugging it off the rings as the nude blonde fell to the bottom with a soft thud. Spence stood, slightly wet before reaching to only turn the water down slightly in pressure before heading out of the bathroom. He spotted Izzie glancing up from the table and kept the gun in his hand, not pointing at her.

* * *

"W-what are you doing here?" She asked, feeling panic rise up at the man who was supposedly her father. She dropped her pencil as Spence advanced towards her. "Where's my mother?"

"Oh, she's fine." Spence said with a smug smile. "Now, don't scream, got it? You know how guns work, don't you? Alice raised you to know that much, right?"

"Y-yes, I-I know how they work." Izzie swallowed, glancing around nervously. Jill had long been gone out for her evening, and no one else was expected to come around or call. Spence then stepped forward, taking Izzie's arm in his hand rather forcibly with a strong grip enough to leave bruises. She whimpered slightly.

"Good. You're coming with me. Oh and another thing, Isobella?"

"Y-yes?" She glanced up, shaking with nerves as Spence tugged her out the door, hiding the gun up his sleeve, moving his hand to take hers to make it look like a normal father and daughter pair while heading back out to his conveniently parked car.

"Call me 'Daddy'."

* * *

"Well, this is… interesting." Jill said to herself as she saw the man that Alice had described to her, sitting in the corner booth with a drink for himself and something that look suspiciously like her favourite preferred drink. Frost stood up upon seeing a rather gorgeous woman heading for his table.

"You must be Alice's friend, right?"

"Jill Valentine," She replied, offering a hand. Frost took it and shook her hand gently.

"Barry Frost, Boston Homicide."

"Ah, so that's how Alice knows you." Jill said before sliding into the booth, making sure her skirt was tucked beneath her. She adjusted the blue tube top she was wearing, her hair straightened and down to her chest. Frost was wearing a grey sweater with a pair of slim fit jeans, recently clean shaven. "Annnnd, I can see she told you my favourite drink."

"Helpful. So, Jill, you're from Raccoon?"

"Mhm," Jill nodded, sipping her rum and Coke casually. "I used to work for the police department there, but now I've transferred here to Boston, and so far, it's not bad. The city's gorgeous, I'll give it that."

" Well, a gorgeous woman like you sure fits in." He grinned, and Jill let out a nervous chuckle as she sipped more of her drink. She didn't want to be awkward about it, but her blind date track record had never been that great. And for the fact this guy's name was Barry made Jill think even more about Barry Burton and his ridiculous catch phrases for her.

"Some game they've got going on, huh?" Jill glanced up to the television in the corner of the bar, noting the game had gone to extra innings.

"The whole of the Rizzoli family must be yelling at the TV right about now. You like baseball?"

"It's not bad. Fun atmosphere to go to. Alice and I once went to a Detroit Tigers game, but they lost to the Yanks."

"Well, if you're interested, I can get us tickets to an upcoming game." Frost offered with a grin. It was true; he had a bet with Frankie going that if he could get a woman to go with him, Frankie would give the tickets to him. If he couldn't, Frost owed Frankie an extra ticket to bring his mother along. It was an interesting set up between them, but Frost figured he'd have this in the bag.

"That would sound really fun." Jill agreed. It had been a while since she had dated, though Frost seemed like a nice enough guy. He was a cop too, which meant he would understand her hours and being on call. She finished off her drink after a while, their conversation dipping into different job experiences, and life goals when her phone rang. Reaching into her purse, she excused herself from the booth and answered it.

* * *

"Listen, Maur," Jane felt her gut tightening up, packed full of nerves. It had been months since she had received the drunken advice from Alice at the Robber, and for a while, she let the ramblings of a drunken woman be put to the back of her mind. That was easiest, to try and not think of Maura in that way. But every time they were alone, having a moment together, Jane just couldn't imagine being there without Maura. They were best friends, but what Jane was feeling deep down for Maura was more than a deep platonic love. Now, sitting on her couch in the middle of her apartment's living room well after the game had gone into its 14th inning, still tied up at ten a piece, she had her chance to just talk it out with her; to let her feelings out. Maura was an understanding person, for all the time Jane had known her. What would make this any different? Besides, her interest in the game had long gone out the window, and she had even turned down the volume to talk to Maura, knowing no one would be coming over this time of night to interrupt her.

"Jane, what is it?" Maura arched a brow, wondering what had gotten into Jane. Clearly, the baseball wasn't it, what with Jane's voice turning low and serious. Jane bit her lip, taking in a slightly shaky breath, eyes darting to the scars on her hands. She was debating on how to word this, how to make it less than awkward, but her phone ringing interrupted her. Cussing up a storm in her mind, she then reached back over to the coffee table, and grabbed it, not bothering to check who it was before answering it.

* * *

Alice slowly came to, her head just pounding. She opened her eyes, and slowly stood up, the water of the shower gone cold as it dribbled in miserable droplets from the tap. She got up, using the wall for support, and turned the rest of it off, the memory of what happened coming back to her; the assailant hitting her in the head with a gun of some sort. It had been too quick to see a face of any kind before she blacked out. Feeling panic rise, she grabbed her gym clothes and tossed them on anyway, running out into the middle of her apartment. "Izzie?" She called out once; no response. She called out again as she went to their respected bedrooms, and still nothing. "Isobella?" Her voice wavered, and she grabbed her gun out of its drawer and her phone, quickly dialling the first number that came to her mind.

* * *

Jill stood up, just five feet away from her booth when she realised it was Alice's number on her call display. "Hello?" Frost glanced up, watching Jill's every move curiously.

"Jill…" Alice held her phone to her ear, feeling panic rise up in her chest as she stood in the middle of her apartment, seeing Izzie's colouring book and pencil crayons left scattered on the table in the kitchen.

"Alice," Jill paused, noting her best friend's normally confident voice faltering. Frost too stood up, furrowing his brows as he could tell something was not right. "What's wrong?" Jill gave him a look and a hand motion to come closer.

"Izzie's m-missing…"


	19. Driving Though The Eye of the Storm

**A/N: Just for your information, I split up one of the future chapters. So there will be a total of 21 chapters, and an epilogue.**

**Thank you to those who reviewed, and yes, there will be some fluff and smut coming up, I promise. I'm almost done writing the next smuttastic scene, so just be patient.**

**Read, Enjoy, Review.**

* * *

**Chapter Eighteen: Driving Though The Eye of the Storm**

"Alice, Alice just… calm down a second here." Jane's voice was set in a hard octave, trying to consult the now blubbering mess of her fellow detective. Alice had called Jill, who then got Frost to simultaneously call Jane and then 911 to report in what had happened. Jill had found out that not only was Izzie missing, but someone had come in and taken her. They had gone to Alice's apartment, and Frost took it upon himself to go door to door to see if any of their neighbours had seen Izzie before she was taken.

"I- I was in the shower and the guy hit me over the b-back of the head and…" Alice had tears streaming down her face, her lips twitching nervously. "Next thing I knew when I w-woke up, she was gone… someone's taken my child… who does that?!" She choked out a sob, and Maura who had come along with Jane offered Alice tissues. Jane bit her lip at the thought that crossed her mind.

"Could it have been Spence Parks? We haven't heard any word on his whereabouts in months…"

"It… it could make sense." Alice stammered, feeling her anger boiling up along with the rest of her emotions. "Son of a bitch… we need to get out there and find her." Alice had her .45 holstered on her left hip and went to head for the door when Jane's hand grabbed her by the arm, holding her back.

"We've got it under control; you need to stay here. Because right now, you're not the cop, or the detective. You're the scared mother." Alice sighed, letting Jane's grip drop before she went over to the couch, sitting down in a huff, elbows on her knees, leaning into her own hands. She couldn't believe what had happened, and felt guilt seeping in her mind. If she had just screamed or something before getting knocked out, or had been able to wake up sooner, it wouldn't be so bad. She blew her nose into the tissues and scrunched it up in her hand, hearing Jane and Maura talking in quiet voices. Jill had come back inside after talking with her coworkers, and sat down beside Alice and without a word put her arm around her best friend's shoulders and hugged her. She too was upset, though she had mostly fallen into silent mode.

"We'll find her, Alice… I'll make sure everything is done to find her…"

* * *

Once Claire had gotten the call from Frost regarding Alice's daughter, she hurried over to Alice's place, going up the stairs to be stopped by Frost. "Well, what's… the news? Anything?" She panted, hoping someone saw something. He sadly shook his head.

"No one heard a damn thing, nor did anyone see anything out of the ordinary."

"Shit," Claire sighed, checking her watch. It was now nearly quarter to ten. "How's Alice doing?" Frost gave her a look, arching a brow at the redhead's sudden concern, then smiled, knowing that the two of them were definitely more than just partners.

"A damned wreck right about now. Jane and Maura are sittin' with her. She was going to be hell bent for election to just up and leave with her gun to find the bastard herself, but they got her calmed down." Frost explained, and then Claire took another moment to simply stand there, taking in the situation. "You and her, you're uh…"  
"Yeah, yeah we are." Claire confirmed Frost's suspicions of her and Alice's relationship with a curt nod, dismissing herself as she then headed down the hallway to go to Alice's apartment. Knocking, she was soon greeted by Jane with a gun in hand, who then let her in.

* * *

"Good to see you out here," Jane said, lowering her gun. Her voice was low, barely audible except to Claire's close ears. "This is bad. Has Frost gotten anything?"

"No," Claire shook her head sadly, and glanced over to Alice who was accompanied by Maura and Jill. By the looks of things, Maura was trying to still calm Alice down, while Jill was rubbing her back, and offering more tissues from a box on the coffee table. "I take it you haven't heard anything from Frankie out on the beat?"

"No. We figure it was her ex-husband, Spence who did it, but we have no proof. Far as I'm concerned, that's our biggest lead. He's already wanted for three homicides, and an aggravated assault charge. If we get him, his pathetic ass will be in prison for the rest of his life." Jane let out, her voice nearly in a growl. She didn't even really have the experience with Spence as Alice did obviously, but she could tell just how much this had the normally strong and confident detective down on her last stand of emotions. It made Jane's conviction change about Alice; she was only human after all.

"Well, if you've got it handled here, I'll head down to the station; see if anything comes in there."

"You're not going to offer words of comfort or reassurance to your partner?" Jane said bluntly, though when Claire gave her a look, she shrugged. The redhead then went over to the couch, clearing her throat and the other three women looked up at her from the sofa. Alice's lips twitched in the tiniest of smiles before fading back to the worried look of a mother whose child was lost.

"I'm heading down to HQ right now, but… know that I'm on this… we'll find her, Alice."

"Thanks..." Alice drifted off, blowing her nose again. She wished there was more she was allowed to do, though she was confined to her apartment, gun still in its holster on her hip. Once Claire left, Alice stood up. "I… I need a smoke…"

"Alice," Maura warned, and Alice shot her a glare.

"Not now, Doc. Not when my daughter is missing, all right?" She snapped slightly before heading off towards her bedroom's joint balcony, tugging out her smokes and silver Zippo lighter, taking many long drags in quick succession. She glanced out to the small cityscape view she had, seeing lights of all colours in the distance, wondering where Izzie was, if she was still alive. A lone tear fell down her gaunt cheekbones, hitting the ashtray that was on the edge of the small glass table. She hoped it wasn't a matter of time before they were too late to find Izzie…

* * *

It was another half an hour before Frost came barrelling up the two flights of stairs, knocking rapidly on the apartment door, which Jane answered yet again, gun in hand once more.

"We got… a hit! Neighbour across the way… said he say a black 80's era Dodge leave the alleyway between the buildings with a guy in a leather jacket, holding a little girl's hand, going north."

"Good, we got a direction. Call up Frankie and the others, let him know. Then call Claire."

"Where's Alice now?"

"Giving herself cancer at this point."

"What?"

"The stress is causing her to be a chain smoker out on the balcony, but I'll go tell her. You did good." Jane turned on her heel, noting that both Jill and Maura who had been previously talking to each other on the couch had heard the news, and Jane went in to Alice's bedroom. She noted how meticulous the room was kept; bed made, clothes hung in the closet neatly, and shoes left on a mat by her own door in neat pairs. She moved to the balcony, smelling the thick smoke even through the glass door. She knocked and Alice nearly jumped, grabbing the gun which was no on the table, then set it down when she realised it was Jane. She butt out the fourth cigarette she had had in the last half hour, and popped a few pieces of gum and stepped in.

"They got a witness giving us a direction of a man with a leather jacket and your daughter, leaving in an old Dodge car, heading north."  
"God…" Alice ran her hand through her messy hair, and felt a little more relieved. "That's Spence's Dodge Rampage. He had the thing even when we were married… and the leather jacket, that's him too." Jane then took out her phone, and sent a text to Frost, Frankie, and Claire, confirming that in fact they were looking for Spence Parks, and put out a reminder to tell the news channels to put his face out everywhere by 7am in case they had yet to find him, as well as a note to try and block the exits to the city before he escaped.

* * *

Claire had gotten the text from Jane, and although the information was helpful, it was going to be difficult to track down the man and his car during the middle of the night. But, as the police department began to set up roadblocks, travelling around town would be starting to get hard pressed for Spence, without getting caught.

"Where are you taking me?" Izzie demanded, sitting in the front passenger seat. She had put on her seatbelt, just as her mama had always told her to do, no matter whose car she was in. Spence kept a hand loosely on the steering wheel, the other on the gear shifter.

"We're going to find a nice spot to stay for a little while, you and I." Spence replied. His idea in mind was going back to his crappy apartment in the poorer area of town, hoping to get there some time in the next half hour. He was trying to drive inconspicuously, figuring the authorities would soon be after him. It was then that he got the idea to head out towards the harbour. "Have you ever been out to the harbour front?"

"Once. For a field trip for school."

"Well, we're going to take a little walk along the harbour here at night. It's a beautiful sight to see." Spence said, taking a right out to the small parking lot near a park that was just on the edge of the water. "Get out."

"Okay…" Izzie followed his order and soon, the pair were walking, Spence's hand around hers tightly as they paced the docks. He knew it was risky, but he need Izzie to calm down a bit. "It is… kinda pretty."

"See? Now if this was the day time, I'd buy you an ice cream cone, sweetheart. That's what good Daddies do for their daughters." He stated nonchalantly, and tugged her along for another ten minutes before turning around, and heading back to the black two-door before getting back in and driving off. It was now nearing midnight, and he soon drove in to the underground garage near his apartment and parked in the corner before heading up to his temporary home. "Now, it's a bit late, sweetheart, but you can go to bed right in there, okay?"

"Y-yes, Daddy." Izzie nodded as Spence showed her to the room he had clearly been living in, and she climbed into the small single bed. Spence helped tuck her in, and leaned down to kiss her forehead. She flinched slightly.

"There, there. Goodnight, love. Sleep tight, and don't go anywhere. Bathroom's right next door, but I'll be out here on the couch if you need me."

"Goodnight." She said, voice small as Spence closed the door behind him. He knew she couldn't get out, what with there being no windows, and he locked the door behind him. He would wait until morning, knowing that the police wouldn't have scoured this part of the city, not until daylight anyway. Putting his feet up on the arm of the sofa, he then closed his eyes, gun laying on his toned stomach_. Just a snooze_, he thought. _Just a snooze until I get my revenge._

* * *

Alice remained awake the entire duration of the night, sending Jill to bed, and Maura and Jane home to reunite later in the day back at work. Alice had to agree she wouldn't go out on her own, though it was tempting her. If she ever found Spence, he would wish he was dead already for the things she would do to him. She tried not to think about it, and rather where he would take her. "Try finding aliases for his name, uh… what's the word?"

"An anagram?" Maura stated, pronouncing her entrance as she brought the detectives a tray of coffees.

"Yeah, one of those. Or check for apartments signed under 'Percival'; that's his real name." Alice informed them, glancing to the picture of her daughter on her desk. She sighed, praying she was still okay.

"I got it." Frost called, and began typing away at names and buildings for Percival, and anagrams for Spence Parks. He sat, waiting for the computer to do its job, tapping his fingers against his desk as Maura handed him a coffee. He smiled his thanks, and noted how Maura had already premade Jane's coffee with milk and sugar in order to save bringing packets and creamers. "Matching names now…" He stated, running two simultaneous searches; one for Percivals and the other for different spellings of names with the same letters as his own. "Ahh! Got it! There's an old apartment complex out on the north east side, located here." He then hit another few keys and brought up the map on the big screen to show the others.

"All right, get a team together, and we'll go in there, carefully. We don't need him…"

"Shooting her." Alice finished Jane's sentence for her, seriousness falling over her face. "I'll… I'll stay. But you keep me updated, got it?"

"Understood." Jane stated, and then hurried off without finishing her coffee to help get a task force organised.

* * *

"Daddy?" Izzie called out, realising that the bedroom she was in was much like a jail cell. "I want to go home." She tried the door, but it was locked. She knocked on it again, knowing she had slept all night, though not very well. There was light showing under the door, and it was a natural pale yellow colour as opposed to the white iridescent of the cheap industrial lights in the apartment she had noticed the night before.

"Ah, coming, sweetheart." Spence said, setting his coffee down as the television blared on about the news. He flicked it off, knowing the police would be coming for him soon. He opened up the door and gazed down at his daughter, smiling as sweetly as he could muster. "Now, go wash up and use the bathroom as you need, and then we're going to go out for breakfast somewhere, okay?"

"Okay." Izzie then padded off to the bathroom, closing the door behind her. She used the facilities, and glanced up. Again, there was no window to be had. She washed her hands, and her face, trying to calm down her static charged hair, damping it down with water as well. Once she was done, Spence then headed out, not through the front door, but rather through the back stairwell and out to the alley. He left his car where it was in the garage, and took out an old set of bicycles from behind the dumpster.

"You know how to ride a bike, don't you?"

"Yes, I learned in the first grade." Izzie said and then clambered about the slightly rusty bike, following Spence as he peddled out of the alley and on to an even smaller side street. It was still early; most people were either gone to work, or just about to.

"It's not far where we are going. We'll get breakfast on the way, then we will go and have a place to ourselves, all right?" Spence smiled as he turned his head to make sure Izzie was right behind him, his gun still up his sleeve just in case. Izzie saw the gleam of it and all thoughts of just peddling away when Spence wasn't looking faded from her mind. It was easier to just go along with what he wanted; she didn't dare try to push him if she disobeyed. Alice had educated her on what guns do to people, and Izzie had seen the injury afflict her own mother when she was shot on duty just before Izzie had turned six years old. The bike ride soon paused briefly as Spence stopped ahead of a breakfast diner.

"Come along, Isobella." He offered his hand and she took it, walking with him inside the place. He placed their orders for take-out, and another ten minutes later, with a breakfast each of bacon and eggs, they were off on the bicycles again, without anyone noticing them.

* * *

"Go go go! Boston Police, open up!" Jane's voice called, and giving a nod to Frost as they both lined the doorway of the apartment registered to their suspect, Frost kicked it in, and he, Jane, and three SWAT men followed, clearing around the place. "Clear!"

"Clear in here too. This coffee's still lukewarm." Frost pointed out as he had dipped his finger in the middle of the mug on the table.

"His car is still here. He couldn't have gone far." Jane turned around, holstering her gun. "C'mon!" She motioned the men to follow, and out from the corner of her eye, she noticed a dingy, dust covered door where a speck of light was shimmering in. "Look at that. An old back entrance. He must've gone this way. That's probably a finger print of some kind on the door."

"We'll get CSU on it if we have to after," Frost said, and the pair then went through it, careful not to smudge the spot before trotting down the flights of stairs into the back alleyway.

"Nothing out here… no tire tread marks. He didn't leave in a hurry; otherwise people would notice him dragging a little girl around."

"That is, if he still has her." Frost said darkly, hoping that was not the case. He still had to add in that possibility to the matter.

"Someone would've seen them if they watched the damn news this morning! They'd have to!" Jane exclaimed, digging out her phone. "I'll get Claire on the line to update Alice. Go ask people around here and across the street. Maybe try that restaurant over there."

"Gotcha."

* * *

Frost walked in, and the woman at the till of the diner glanced up. She was young, dark haired, and had thick but arched eyebrows, clearly of some mixed ethnicity between Caucasian and East Asian. "For here or for take out?"

"Boston Homicide." Frost flashed her his badge, and then saw her name tag. 'Terri' was her name. "This morning, would you have happened to see a tall, dark haired white man with a young girl, brown hair, bright blue eyes, and about ten years old this morning?"

"Uh…" Terri paused, sighing dryly as she thought about it, then glanced to the TV in the corner as the news cast came on yet again with another broadcast about some guy she hadn't really paid attention to. Frost then pointed up at the screen.

"That guy. You seen him?"

"Oh! Oh my God, I did! Not twenty minutes ago! They got eggs and bacon and left on… on bicycles!"

"Where did they go? Any idea?"

"Uh… uh that way!" The woman pointed out the glass windows to the east, nodding rapidly. Frost gave her his card, and then whipped out his phone as he called up Jane.

"We got a witness here! Heading east towards the harbour! On bicycles!"

* * *

"Oh my God," Claire sighed, feeling slightly more relieved now. Alice glanced up from sulking at her desk, twiddling her thumbs.

"What is it?"

"They got a hit… they're gonna go find him, out east by the northern harbour front. Turns out he was at some diner and the greeter girl saw the newscast and recognised him." Claire exclaimed, smiling brightly. "They're gonna find Izzie." Alice stood up, grabbing her jacket before putting it on. "Where are you going?"

"I'm gonna head out for a smoke." Alice said quickly, grabbing her lighter out of her pants' pockets.

"You're gonna kill yourself with those."

"Yeah, yeah, maybe after this shit gets solved, I'll uh, think 'bout quitting, all right?" Alice let a smile escape her for the first time all day thus far, and headed out downstairs. What Claire didn't know was that Alice wasn't going for a smoke; she knew the exact diner that Spence had gone to considering there was the same one they had had their first date at back in Raccoon. Getting in her car, she checked her gun to make sure it had ammunition, and without causing too much notice, she drove away in her Mustang, putting on the temporary siren situated on her dashboard in order to clear the traffic, just until she got close enough to her destination. This was her chance to save Izzie before it was too late.


	20. I Need a Hero

**A/N: Thank you to everyone who has stuck with this story so far. I promise you, Rizzles will happen the chapter after this. I kept this one short as to relieve the heartattacks I've been giving you, and soon, I'll have Chapter 20 up considering most of it is written already (Ahem, Rizzles. Ahem ahem ahem.) **

**So, a really great song to listen to while reading is Ella Mae Bowen's cover of 'Holding Out for a Hero' from the newer Footloose movie. It's slowed down, and gives me a lot of emotional feelings, which was what I wanted from this chapter. Okay. Shutting up now.**

**Read, Enjoy, Review!**

* * *

**Chapter Nineteen: I Need a Hero**

"All right, he couldn't have gone far along the docks here." Frost stated to the others, meeting Jane's chocolate eyes, rolling up the sleeves of his white shirt. "There's a ton of warehouses and boat houses to check, but if we do it quickly and effectively, we'll find Spence before he does a damn thing to Izzie."

"Start from the closest ones and move out along the harbour's side." Jane replied, taking out her pistol as another unit of officers soon pulled up, ready for an assault to rescue for the hostage situation. Things were tense; they had a lot of buildings to scan through, and not a whole hell of a lot of time.

* * *

Alice drove with her sirens blaring until she was roughly a mile out away from the harbour docks. She drove carefully, slowing up when she turned off to a side street, leaving her car locked and parked at the side. Getting out, she took out her gun, cocking the heavy slide to check the chamber before taking the safety off. She peered around the many different buildings until her eyes happened to come across two bicycles sitting out front of an older warehouse on the far side of the bay, numbered with a large 12 on its side. Alice glanced around, not hearing any other sirens or seeing any other police vehicles as she advanced for the warehouse's side entrance. Taking a breath in, she slowly opened the door, gun out and ahead of her. Inside, it smelled musty, and dust lingered in the dull sunlight that came filtering in from the small windows all along the border of the building.

* * *

Jane was just prepping to get a bullet proof vest on when her phone rang. Pausing in her actions, she whipped it out, and slung it to her shoulder. "Rizzoli."

"It's Claire. You haven't heard from Alice have you?"

"Uh…" Jane's brows furrowed together as Frost gave her a look. "No, why? I thought she was with you?"

"She was. Until she went out for a smoke break after I told her the news of you guys finding a location."

"You told her?"

"Well, I-" Claire stopped as she walked outside of the precinct, phone in hand, noting Alice's dark blue Mustang was missing. "She's gone."

"Gone?"

"I… she must've gone to the harbour. Shit." Claire cussed, realising her mistake. A flash of anger rose in Jane's eyes as she gripped the phone tighter in her fingers.

"Get out here, and try to find her before she finds Spence and does something to get herself killed!" Jane hung up, and told Frost the news. "Damn it… rookies, I tell ya. We've got to get there before Alice does."

* * *

Alice paused in the doorway, smelling something quite odd for an old warehouse; something reminiscent of bacon and eggs. Furrowing her brows, Alice proceeded forward, coming out into the middle of the warehouse where the sight before her had her in shock. Spence stood with Izzie standing ahead of him, one large hand on her shoulder, the other holding his silenced pistol to the girl's head.

"Ah, Alice. I figured you'd come. Put your over compensating toy away, or else I won't hesitate to pull this trigger right now." Spence grinned maliciously, and Alice, with shaking hands, slid her gun into its holster on her hip, securing the weapon. She put her hands out to show she had nothing else on her, and Spence lowered the pistol slightly, though his grip on Izzie's shoulder was still tight enough to leave bruises on her pale skin. "Now that you're here, I figure it's time to maybe talk it out, considering you never gave me that chance."

"Spence, come on, just-"

"No!" Spence roared, bringing the gun back out. Izzie let out a squeal of fright, and he tugged her in close. 'Let me finish, god damn it! You just up and left me with nothing. Not a chance to say goodbye, not a chance to see my daughter grow up! You know, she looks just like you… but she has my smile. Oh yes. I've seen that smile at points today. It's all mine. Yet, I'm surprised you don't see it, Alice. Ignorance is bliss as they say, but she's mine too!" Spence spat on the ground in anger. Alice stood roughly twenty feet away from him, too far to make a move to grab her daughter from his grasp. "Maybe I shouldn't have hit you, but you were seeing that stupid Latina cunt! I knew you were! Don't you even dare say otherwise!" Spence roared again, voice growing hoarse as he tried to yell louder. Izzie stood still, fear planting her at her father's feet, tears staining down her cheeks. She was silently pleading to her mother that somehow, some way, she would get out of this alive. Both of them.

* * *

"This is the fifth warehouse we've checked, and still nothing." Claire huffed, growing more impatient with how the system was set up, clearing each one from beginning to end. Jane gave her a look, eyes cold.

"If you hadn't said anything, we wouldn't have to be looking for Alice either." Jane growled. "You weren't thinking, Redfield. She's the mother of a kidnapped child who just happens to be a detective for homicide." Jane retorted as they began walking towards the next ware house. Number 12 was on its side. "Now go and try to find her car at least."

"You got it, Rizzoli."

* * *

"Spence, we can- we can work this out. It's not… it's not Izzie's fault!" Alice pleaded, feeling her emotions getting to her. It was just too much to see a loaded gun pointed to her daughter's head at such close range that no matter what, it would be a harsh kill shot.

"Oh really now? If we hadn't had Izzie here… we could still be together because that's what it was all about, wasn't it?" He hissed, baring his teeth out of habit before pulling Izzie in close, one thick arm around her neck, giving a squeeze.

"Don't do this, Spence! Please!" Alice shouted. "I- kill me instead then. Just let her go!" Alice's voice cracked at one point, and tears flooded down her cheeks.

"Please… let her go."

"Oh yeah, because killing you would make it too easy. What would happen to Izzie, hmm? Would she live with her forsaken godmother who doesn't even want children of her own? Or go into the foster system? Is that what you want, Alice?! Huh!?" He tugged his arm harder against Izzie's throat, causing the girl to fuss beneath his grip to loosen it, though he just held on even more. Alice felt her heart beat rising, wondering if anyone was going to show up, or if she'd have to take matters into her own literal hands.

* * *

Claire had come back in quite the hurry when she saw Alice's car parked, and the hood cold. She had been there for quite some time already, and the redhead hurried back towards the docks, towards the team. "This has to be it!" She panted. "We… we need to get in there!"

"Woah, hold on, we're going in as planned. If the SWAT guys can get a shot on Spence, they'll take it. They're setting up now. Just... you stay here. She might be in there, and we don't need to lose an officer today." Frost told the younger detective, and Claire sighed in discontentment, taking out her gun regardless.

"Then we need to get in there!" Claire protested, but Frost grabbed her by the shoulder.

"Stay put, Claire."

* * *

"Spence, please…" Alice's eyes met the dark ones of her ex-husband's, begging, pleading that he would let Izzie go. "We can… we can work this out, Spence. Just… let her go…" At this point, she was down to her last straws, feeling completely desperate. Spence's demeanour had changed when he saw her crumple, and he knew he was winning, or at least, in his mind.

"Work out? For you to just take her away from me again?" He hissed, shifting his grip on Izzie. She let out a muffled whelp, and tried struggling against her estranged father's hold again, but to no avail. He simply shifted his muscular arm around her neck once more, pinning her directly to his side. The warehouse was getting lighter, the sun slowly starting to hit its peak of noon hour, the sounds of the docks outside began to echo in the old building. Alice was now roughly fifteen feet from Spence, though she couldn't take out her gun, considering Spence already had his out, with the safety off, pointed in her direction at this point, shifting it between her and Izzie's head. She stood there, as a mother, not a detective, wanting her daughter back. Was it stupid? Probably. Did she care? No.

"We can try, please…" Alice said softly, voice wavering, tears stained down her gaunt cheeks in miserable trails. "Don't make this about Izzie…" She was trying her best, and talking was the only weapon she had left.

"That's who it's all about," Spence growled. "If you had just let me have part time custody, you cunt, it would've been best for all of us involved."

"Just let her go!" Alice cried out, and Spence adjusted his aim of his gun from Alice to Izzie quickly.

"Don't make me pull this trigger, Alice…"

"NO!" Alice cried out, falling to her knees at this point, begging. "No!"

* * *

"Claire, where do you think you're going?" Jane hissed, glancing up to suddenly notice the redheaded detective was storming off towards the side door of the warehouse after freeing herself from Frost's grasp, without a vest on. The SWAT team was still setting up around the perimeter, getting their eyes on the situation as soon as they had moved in towards warehouse 12. She glanced back to Jane only once, and shook her head, before kicking in the door, her Glock raised and ready to fire. She was taking it one step too far, but at this point, not only was her fellow detective in danger, but her girlfriend and her girlfriend's daughter. Heart pounding in her ears, she called out to the scene before her, ignoring Jane's harsh orders that were shouted out after she slipped inside the warehouse.

"Hey Spence!" Claire shouted as she came out from behind a series of worn out wooden crates scattered around. They made for good cover, and as she came into the open space, she was no more than twelve feet away from him. The raven-haired man turned to look, and without a single second of hesitation, Claire aimed down the sights of her pistol, and pulled the trigger with a well-aimed shot. It felt as the seconds before it hit him were elongated, and she held her breath until the bullet made a sickening thud as it hit him square in the forehead, knocking him back, releasing the grip on Izzie as he fell. Alice's jaw had dropped, and she rushed forward to her feet, taking her daughter in her arms before nearly collapsing to her knees once more. Claire stood, gun smoking slightly as Jane, Frost, and a few SWAT members stormed in at the sound of a gunshot, realising what had just gone down.

* * *

Alice had her arms wrapped around Izzie so tightly, she was sure her daughter was feeling some pressure against her rib cage, but only after a minute of holding her daughter, tears melding as they embraced, did she let up on her grip. Izzie cried into her mother's shoulder, her own arms around Alice's neck like a life line. "I'm so sorry baby… I'm so sorry…" Alice whispered over and over, and Izzie pressed her cheek to her mother's to whisper back.

"It's not your f-f-fault, mama… it was his." She closed her eyes, still feeling the grip of her estranged father's hands and arm over her shoulder and neck, and she leaned more so into her mother's warm touch, the concrete cold beneath Alice's knees. They remained close as the rest of the team silently hovered around, a few men giving Claire a nod as they passed her, whereas Jane gave her a dark look.

Claire walked over to the reunited mother-daughter pair after a good while, and put her hand gingerly on Alice's shoulder. The dirty blonde looked up, eyes red from crying all this time, looking weary and for once, her age showed in the slight creases in her face. Claire gave her shoulder a squeeze. "My aim's not so off now, is it?" Alice smiled at the comment, thinking back to the day months and months ago at the shooting range. It was a good memory, and now, it had proven its worth. She stood up to her feet, gathering Izzie in her arms, holding on tightly. Izzie held on to her mother's shoulders, legs wrapped around her slender waist. Alice nodded, and put her free hand over Claire's.

"You… thank you." She whispered, sniffling back more tears. "You saved her life when I couldn't…"

"I was doing my duty," Claire replied softly. "What I thought was best…"

"It was kinda crazy but without you…" Alice buried her head next to Izzie's, and just held her silent daughter tighter. Claire dropped her hand, allowing Alice the pleasure of not having to finish her sentence. Jane had meanwhile come over, and met Claire's gaze once more, seriousness filling her long face.

"You did good, Redfield. Prepare for a bit of a shit storm from the SWAT guys, but…" She turned to Alice. "It was worth it in the end."

"Thank you." Claire responded before excusing herself to deal with the complications from her premature entrance to the warehouse and the situation. Jane then turned to Alice, mimicking the same motion Claire had done with a scarred hand on Alice's scarred shoulder.

"C'mon, let's get you two home."


	21. May This Be Love

**A/N: Here it is. The chapter you Rizzles lovers have been waiting for. It's totally gratuitous, totally gay touching to the extreme. I promise. It is. RE: Smut below; you have been warned. ;)**

**One more chapter and an epilogue left to go!**

**Read, enjoy, review!**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty: May This Be Love**

"You're still here?" Jane questioned as she walked back in to the office, seeing the now nearly brunette Alice sitting at her desk. Clearly, the detective had begun letting her natural hair grown in. Alice glanced up with tired eyes, and set down her pen with a sigh.

"I just… after what happened, I'm afraid to leave Izzie out of my sight, even just taking a shower. Jill's moved out to an apartment block down the way, and…" Alice sighed, running a hand through her dishevelled hair. "I haven't even been sleeping right. Half the time she comes in to my bed, complaining of nightmares. I almost always have them now… I just wanted to distract myself for once with paperwork as shocking as that sounds." Alice glanced out the window of the station. It had been three weeks since the incident with Spence had occurred, and she had gotten time off to spend with her daughter, recovering from the traumatic moment in both their lives. The sun was slowly lowering in the sky, causing pink and light blue hues to appear in the clouds over the city. Alice turned her gaze back to Jane who had walked over with her lengthy gait and sat down across from Alice in another chair of the homicide department's office. They were the last two in the precinct, staying late after a rather long, uninteresting day of mostly filing paper work.

* * *

"Sometimes, no set amount of time fixes anything." Jane let her hands rest on the top of the desk, her scars clearly visible. Alice hadn't once thought it appropriate to ask such a personal question about them, but now was her chance.

"I take it those have something to do with it." Alice inquired, wondering what would've caused them. Knife? Pen?

"There was a man by the name of Charles Hoyt, a serial killer who targeted couples. At one point, he had captured me, and… during the struggle, he stabbed scalpels into my hands as I laid out on the floor. He was sent off to prison, had a copycat killer. It nearly got me again because of him." Jane watched as Alice's eyes drew up from her scars to her face again, listening intently. "He targeted couples, first tying both up before raping the wife in front of the husband, then he'd kill the husband while the wife watches…" Jane took in another breath, pausing to glance out at the pretty fading sun. "He had Maura and I down in the morgue. I never thought I could've escaped him then but something came over me that day…"

"You had to save her." Alice said softly, realising what Jane was finally stating after all these months. "Because you love her." The smile that tugged its way to Jane's lips let Alice know that she was correct in her response, and Alice leaned forward on the table. "And you still haven't told her yet, have you?"

"I- No." Jane sighed, her hand going back to fiddle with her trusses of thick hair between slender fingers. "I was gonna, then the thing with your kid happened, and well… I haven't gotten the time or the place down to do it."

"Look, Jane," Alice said, resting on her crossed arms on the desk. "This is going to be blunt, but when you go to see her next time, just go right up to her, cup her face with those hands of yours, and kiss that woman like you mean it. Actions speak a hell of a lot louder than words do. Maura's smart; she'll figure it out." She grinned at the image of the two, seeing how Jane finally opened up to her, even with them becoming new partners after she and Claire decided they were serious, and needed a switch for work protocol.

* * *

"You're sure about this? Because I'm not." Jane admitted.

"Jane, if you need to take your time for it, take your time again, but someday someone else might just come along, and she'll end up loving them instead."

"You think so?"

"Someone like Dr. Isles? Yeah." Alice nodded with a sly grin. "You are a lucky woman to have her."

"You're speakin' like she's gonna say yes." Jane's brows knitted together slightly, putting her black blazer back on over her blue tee shirt.

"I've seen the way you two look at each other, the way you act, the way you care, and now this with what happened in your past? You'd do anything for her, and I'm sure she'd do the same. You don't just let that go. That's… that's real love if I've ever seen it." Alice said confidently, standing up, her coat over her arm. She put a strong hand on Jane's shoulder, giving a reassuring squeeze. "You love her, right?"

"Yeah," Jane's bright smile returned to her tanned features. "Yeah I do."

"Then go tell her that."

* * *

Jane had gone home, had dinner, and prepared an entire sort of speech in her head all by the time it was dark. Now, impatiently waiting outside of Maura's house, Jane was tapping her foot against the pavement, hoping Maura wasn't asleep quite just yet. It was a tad late, but she didn't care. "C'mon, Maur." She muttered under her breath, finally hearing footsteps, and the door opened. Maura was wearing her silky salmon coloured pajamas, her hair tied back in a loose bun.

"Jane? What are you doing here?"

"Maura," Jane bit her lip, stepping inside as Maura allowed her the room. The words in her head faded away just as the door was shut and before another word could be said between them, Jane reached forward. She decided to let the words go, and made a move, cupping Maura's sweet heart shaped face in her roughly scarred hands. "I've wanted to do this for a long time." She whispered before leaning down, slowly moving in, eyes on Maura's lips. She had a resonating fear in her gut that Maura would suddenly panic, and back away or duck out of her grasp, but instead, the medical examiner looked on with half closed eyes, leaning into the embrace just as much as Jane was. After hanging seconds, Jane's lips finally met Maura's in a kiss that went from a soft, hesitant kiss to something shared between lovers; something passionate, something fuelled by love. It was only when both needed to breathe that they pulled away mere inches from each other, foreheads together.

"Jane, why didn't you tell me sooner?" Maura asked innocently, hazel eyes meeting dark brown. Jane let out a nervous chuckle, and stayed close.

"Because I was scared as hell that I'd lose you as a friend." Jane's fingers gently began caressing Maura's cheeks, brushing a lock of her hair behind her ear.

"You never would," Maura replied in a breathy whisper, and she stood up on her toes to reach Jane's lips again with her own, draping her slender arms around her neck. "Not now, not ever, Jane… is this…what you… had been… trying to tell me?" Maura said between kisses that began getting more and more heated as each one happened. Jane could only muster a nod as she realised that Maura was tugging her back by her shirt up the stairs, and into Maura's bedroom, right down on to her queen sized bed.

* * *

"Maur," Jane managed to get out between the many kisses she was getting from the medical examiner who had taken the liberty to lay flush against Jane's lanky body, hands settling on the sides of Jane's face.

"Yes?" Maura arched a brow inquisitively, keeping close. "If this is too much…"

"No, no, it's, it's great…" Jane said reassuringly, and Maura went back to kissing her again and again. The pair remained liked this for quite a while, all 116.8 pounds of medical examiner lying flush against the lanky homicide detective. After a while, settling in to each of their comfort zones, Jane rolled them over, supporting her weight with her arms, her raven curls hanging down in a veil around her face. "Do you… um, wanna… keep going?" Jane stuttered, feeling her nerves return to her system when she peered down into Maura's honey coloured eyes. Maura let her sly smile cross her lips, reaching up to tuck some of Jane's wild hair behind her ear to see more of her face.

"Are you asking if I want to have intercourse with you?" She said bluntly, and Jane made a slight teasing face, leaning closer, nose to nose.

"You do need to work on your pillow talk, but yeah, that's… that's what I'm asking."

"Then, it's a yes." Maura grinned again mischievously, slightly surprised it was Jane who wanted to initiate things from the get go. It wasn't that she wasn't against it; in fact, from what Jane had always said, Maura believed her to be a little edgy about attraction to the same sex. But, here she was now, straddling Maura's thighs, lips continuing to kiss down her neck and jawline tenderly, making each one count. By now, Jane had shrugged off her blazer, and her tee shirt, leaving her in her trousers and a white tank top. Maura waited for Jane to eventually break away, and luckily, she only had to slip out of her pajamas, which didn't take her long. Jane's eyes soon feasted upon the sight before her, seeing her best friend in a new light, admiring her slender, but curved figure, complete with full breasts, and smooth skin. Jane too removed the rest of her clothes, leaving them in a haphazard pile, while Maura had tucked hers into a folded pile right by the nightstand. Jane let a soft laugh escape her lips as she noticed the difference between them, and crawled back over on hands and knees to Maura.

* * *

"I… I don't know how good I'm going to be at this, I mean, I've never slept with a woman." Jane stated flat out, deciding being honest was the best way to go about it. Maura gave her a reassuring smile, and pulled Jane by the arm to lie in the bed right beside her.

"Neither have I, Jane. We'll learn together." She said before leaning in, capturing the taller woman's lips beneath her own yet again. Her arm reached forward, sliding down Jane's shoulder, down to her wrist, taking Jane's hand in her own she shifted closer into Jane's grasp, bare flesh to flesh. Jane began to feel sensations in her nerves she hadn't felt before, at least, not when she was with a man. This was different, but she was enjoying it so far. Gradually, as they continued to make out with each other, Jane allowed her left hand to slowly start feeling its way across Maura's body, down between her legs, getting a feel for every curve of her body. She broke from the lip lock again as she felt Maura's hand doing the same thing, her skin shivering at the exploratory touch. "I believe it's all a matter of this…" Maura whispered, letting her hand slide between Jane's taut thighs, caressing the skin beneath her fingertips before passing over the mound of her sex, the curls of pubic hair soft to the touch. "Your vasodilation skin to vessel ratio indicates that you're experiencing more than adequate vasocongestion."

"Maur, please." Jane replied hesitantly. "Don't… don't talk like that, I have no idea what you're saying…" She pleaded, and Maura smiled, moving her hand down farther, teasing Jane's clit beneath her finger tip. Jane bit her lip, letting out a soft gasp.

"In other words, you're sufficiently beginning to become aroused… and wet." Maura then continued to allow her hand down into Jane's core, wanting to feel every square inch of her before sliding one digit within. Jane let out breathy moans with each touch, and Maura released the grasp on Jane's other hand in order to move down and part her legs gently. Jane closed her eyes as the pleasure began taking over, the awkwardness fading as it was replaced by bigger and greater sensations.

"Oh… Maura…" Jane muttered as the honey blonde picked up her pace, her fine forearm moving in and out, fingers curling now and again. Jane felt sweat began to layer over her olive skin. "D-don't stop…"

"I've no intentions of that…" Maura smirked salaciously as she leaned over for another kiss, continuing to pleasure her in the best way she could manage for that point in time. It didn't take Jane long for her climax to hit, her back arching as she held an endearingly long moan. Maura removed her hand, allowing her curiosity to peak as she brought her glistening finger tips to her mouth to taste. It was something new to the doctor, but she wanted to know everything about Jane in this way as opposed to what she already knew. So much for being deceptively complex, she thought.

* * *

Jane had recovered, and in her mind, she felt this was nothing but making pure love with the woman she had fallen for so deeply. Jane let her hands settle on Maura's hips, and bit by bit, she began to repeat what Maura had just done to her. Hand tentatively sliding between her legs, two fingers moving inside of Maura, Jane never broke eye contact with the honey-blonde below her, planting several kisses on her neck, and jaw line, being as tender as she could with what her position allowed.

"Jane," Maura whispered, closing her eyes as she let her senses of touch and hearing take over her experience. She felt hotter, and all she could hear was Jane breathing in her ear. "Oh Jane."

"You like that?" Jane felt her confidence coming to her now, moving her wrist to try and reach farther within Maura's walls.

"Oh yes…" Maura replied, biting her lip as her hands dug in to Jane's strong back, holding her steady. Jane continued, eventually picking up the pace until finally, Maura's high pitched moans grew quite loud, and she announced her finish including Jane's name. She had never felt something quite like this, and upon reopening her eyes, she immediately tugged Jane down into a deep kiss, holding it for as long as she could before having to pull away to breathe. The pair simply remained as they were for a long while, both silent as stones.

* * *

After a good ten minutes, Jane turned to Maura after laying on the right side of the bed, like always. "Hey," Jane whispered into Maura's ear in a voice so husky that it could pull a dogsled for about a thousand miles. She snuggled up close, and draped a protective arm around her new lover, as Maura herself pulled the blankets over them both. She quickly glanced to the time; it was ten after eleven on the dot. Smiling she pressed her back into Jane's front, loving the embrace. "So are we?"

"Together?"

"Yeah. Together?"

"I love you, Jane. Of course, if that's what you want us to be." Maura replied, and though Jane couldn't see her face, especially now that the lights had been turned off for the night, Maura was bearing the biggest, most satisfied smile her precious lips could handle.

"Yeah." Jane replied again, closing her eyes. "I love you too, Maur." After all this, Jane realised that Alice had been right with her drunken thoughts all those months ago. For that, Jane owed the detective big time for giving her the confidence to confess her love for Dr. Maura Dorthea Isles.


	22. What About Love

**A/N: All right! Here's the last full chapter of Two Sides of Me! Of course, the title is based on a song again, and there is a clear explanation about it within the chapter! Great tune though!**

**So, there will be one more post, an epilogue that will sum it all up. Thank you to everyone who has stuck with me through the waiting for Rizzles, and Clairice cuteness. **

**And yes, 'K-mart' makes an appearance. **

**With that, read, enjoy, review!**

**-Mercs**

* * *

**Chapter Twenty-One: What About Love**

With things back in full force after another two months had gone by, Alice was back at work, and Claire had earned a telling off from Cavanaugh about the kill shot she had taken, and was put on probation for a few weeks, but with recognition from the rest of the team, and her new partner, Frost, all was well. Casting a glance up from her desk, Alice caught Jane giving Maura a quick peck on the cheek before the medical examiner left for the morgue in the basement. Alice glanced to Claire, sending her a wink as well before returning to her paper work. Alice was now fully brunette, her hair recently cut. She and Izzie looked even more identical, though Izzie's hair had grown out down her back, and wanted to keep it. Alice put her hand over her trousers' pocket, and felt the heavy rectangular object inside, a smile tugging at her worn lips. She was just waiting for the right time, and the right opportunity to use it.

Jane walked over with her usual swagger to her step, elevated by the fact that she and Maura had been holding steady, moving in to Maura's house over the course of two months, considering Jane pretty much lived there as it was most of the time. The entire Rizzoli clan had been happy, elated even when the news was broke to them. Angela especially, now glad to have a doctor really in the family, praised the pair every chance she got, with ramblings along the lines of 'Oh, my potential daughter in law is the Chief Medical Examiner!' and 'Someday you two can get married, and it'll be absolutely perfect!'. The thought of her mother made Jane shake her head as she sat down, sipping morning coffee like always. Alice was her new partner, and the pair, for having their tribulations when Alice first arrived, was now one of the stronger teams in the precinct for their willingness to work, and their bravery out in the field. The Boston Italian leaned back in her desk, catching Alice's mint eyes glancing over Claire, and the notable bulge in her pants' pocket. "You've been carrying it around for weeks, and yet, you haven't asked her yet?" Jane whispered so only Alice would hear her.

"I haven't found the time yet. It's gotta be just right." Alice responded, signing off on a closed case regarding a man dropped into a sewer manhole. They had found the killer in the process of dumping another body down into the pipes, and he was effectively arrested shortly afterwards.

"Weren't you the one to tell me a few months ago that you can wait and wait, but someday you might lose her?" Jane pointed out and Alice chuckled as her words were echoed.

"Somethin' like that." She said in response, watching as Claire got up to use the photocopier across the room. "We've got a date tomorrow night. Finally got that teenage babysitter for Izzie. It could be the perfect chance."

"Take it, Alice." Jane said, nodding. "You love her, don't you?"

"Yeah, yeah I do." Alice beamed as Jane gave her a wink before sliding over in her chair back to her own desk. Alice took a deep breath, and slowly alongside her work, began planning what she had wanted to do ever since Claire saved Izzie: to propose.

* * *

"You know, we've been dating for a while now, and you're the first person who's not only cared for me, but for my daughter as well. And, y'know, Izzie likes you. She really likes you. Like… she asked me the other day if you were going to stay around in our apartment permanently after so long." Alice admitted, glancing over to Claire who was sitting in her passenger seat, wearing a slim fit blue dress that complimented her eyes and hair. They were parked, overlooking the Charles River from an old restaurant's parking lot, the moonlight reflecting off the water dimly, giving everything a bluish hue. It was just after they had their dinner at one of their favourite spots in the entire city, and both were quite full from the meal provided. "I know it sounds really crazy, and it's been only a little while since we've been dating seriously, but…"

"What are you trying to say, Alice?" Claire asked softly, reaching over the centre console to put her hand over Alice's, squeezing her slender, long fingers gently between her own shorter ones.

"I guess I'm just trying to say that I really, really love you and I'm…" Alice took in a deep breath, turning her head to meet Claire's gaze. "I'm wondering if you'll agree to… Marry me?" Alice's blue eyes slowly moved to her right to gauge Claire's reaction, her heart starting to pound a mile a minute.

"Alice," Claire replied, feeling her heart welling, as well as her tear ducts. "Yes." She said simply, and Alice felt relief flood over her body like a wave over a beach's edge. She then reached into the front right pocket of her pants and tugged out a velvet jewellery box, opening it.

"This was my mother's," Alice replied. "Marriage hasn't exactly always gone over well in my family, but…" She paused; taking Claire's left hand and sliding the ring on. It was a damn near perfect fit. "Here's to giving it a shot."

"Alice, it's beautiful."

"She gave it to me when she was on her death bed. At that time, I'd started dating women, and she said to me, 'Alice, you be wise when it comes to giving this to the right woman. I trust you'll make the right choice someday.' And after that, I've had it sitting around, collecting dust, wondering if I'd ever find someone. And… well, here I am. With you."

"I love you," Claire whispered, feeling a tear roll down her cheek. She leaned over, squeezing the brunette's hand in her own, the weight of the ring on her left hand feeling foreign, though it was something she could get quite used to. The pair began leaning in together, and lips connected in a loving passion, slow, meaningful, and heated. Claire never normally got this emotional at anything, and yet, here she was, tears down her cheeks. She had finally come to terms with what she felt for Alice; simply, it was nothing but pure love and adoration.

* * *

When Alice broke away from Claire to catch her breath, she reached over to start her car as the fog had started covering the glass from the inside. She turned it on, the engine rumbling as it started. She went to adjust the defroster when her mixed CD full of her favourite songs from the 70's and 80's started playing. Claire gave her a look as she recognized the opening beats to the song that came on.

"Really?" She began to laugh as the song picked up. "I haven't heard this one since it came out."

"Hey, I thought you admired my music tastes." Alice shot back, buckling up her seat belt.

"After what just happened, did you purposely leave it on this one? 'What about love'? Really?" Claire laughed as the chorus of the classic 1985 song from the band Heart belted out over the speakers. Alice began to laugh as well, putting her foot on the clutch to put her car in gear to get out of the parking lot and head for home.

* * *

"Hey, Dahlia, thank you so much for babysitting Iz on such short notice. I seriously owe you one." Alice said as the blonde teen girl stood before her, school books in her hands. She was wearing an old red K-mart funded soccer team shirt, and a pair of baggy shorts to go with them, flip flops on her feet.

"Hey, it's not a problem." She said, taking her pay from Alice. Izzie hadn't been a problem whatsoever the few times Alice had asked her to babysit, now that Jill, the godmother had moved to another apartment complex across the town. Dahlia didn't mind, and Alice always paid well.

"You're fantastic, you know that? Seriously. I owe you big time. When's your birthday again?"

"July 13th," The blonde replied, stifling a yawn as she smiled at the two women. "It's all right, you really don't have to do anything." Alice put her left hand on the girl's shoulder, meeting her right in the eyes. Her other hand was enveloped around Claire's.

"Just trust me; I owe you big time for this night, really." She beamed, and then waved goodbye as Dahlia went downstairs and across the hall to her parents' apartment, heading home for the night. Alice walked in; Claire shut the door softly behind her. Alice shrugged off her coat, leaving her keys on the hook before sitting down on the couch, spreading out, feet up on the coffee table. Claire quietly padded over in her socks and sat down next to her now fiancée, leaning against her shoulder.

"So, when are you going to tell Izzie?"

"When she wakes up." Alice replied, leaning into Claire, planting a kiss on the top of her head.

"What are you gonna tell me?" Izzie's soft voice cut across the room, and Alice glanced to the hallway towards their bedrooms. She smiled though her brows arched, wondering what her kid was doing up so late.

"What are you doing up?"

"I heard you and Claire come in… I wanted to say good night." She padded over, dressed in print pajamas with little sheep all over them. Alice patted the couch on her other side, and Izzie clambered up beside her mother. "So what are ya gonna tell me?"

"Well," Alice paused, drawing out the suspense. Claire leaned forward so the girl could see her, and her left hand that Alice finally let go of. "Claire and I are going to get married."

"You're gonna get married?!" She arched a brow, her toothy smile filling her face rapidly. "That's so awesome! That means Claire's gonna be…"

"Your step-mom, yeah." Izzie then got off the couch, and then stepped forward in an attempt to hug both women at the same time, though her small arms could barely manage it, and the pair ended up coming in closer, cheek to cheek.

"You're gonna be so happy and stuff." Izzie mumbled, yawning afterwards as she cuddled up right in between them, not giving a care in the world. If her mama was happy, so was she. Besides, she liked Claire. She liked her a lot. Ever since she got to ride her awesome motorcycle around the block.

"Yeah," Alice smiled brightly, meeting Claire's caring gaze again. "C'mon, you should get your butt to bed, sweetheart."

"Okay, mama." She stood over Alice's sitting form, and gave her a peck on the cheek before turning to Claire and doing the same, skipping off to bed. When she closed her door, Alice turned to face Claire again, her expression never fading.

"I told you she really likes you," Alice then stood up, glancing at her wrist watch. It was half past eleven. "C'mon… we should get to bed too."

"Yeah, I'd like that."

* * *

"Hey," Jane smiled as she had made her way down to the morgue like she always did at the end of the day. Friday had gone by fairly quickly, and coat over her arm, she leaned against the door frame as Maura closed up the last victim in a recent stabbing. She tucked away her gear, and washed up her hands before going over to Jane, looking beautiful as ever, even in black scrubs. "So, Alice and Claire invited us out for drinks at the Robber, I said we'd meet them upstairs as soon as you were done down here."

"Oh I'd love that. I need a glass of wine right about now." Maura admitted, letting her hair down from its ponytail. Jane gave her a look.

"Tough case?"

"Oh no, fairly standard for a stab wound in the sternum with damage to the coronary artery. Kind of boring." She grinned, standing in close to Jane, needing to actually step on her tiptoes to kiss Jane's jawline quickly. She was just wearing flats today, and it made her realise just how tall Jane was. Jane felt her knees almost go weak at the gesture; a new feeling she still had yet to get used to. Maura was her girlfriend. Not just her best friend, her girlfriend. She loved Maura, and Maura loved her. It was perfect. "I'm just going to get changed quickly." Maura stated, heading off into her private office. Jane stood guard at the door, glancing at her wrist watch. It was five minutes until six. She was fairly sure what Alice had to say to them, and the thought of everyone in the precinct becoming an entire family was an enticing thought.

* * *

"Hey!" Alice greeted the newest power couple as Jane and Maura strolled in to The Dirty Robber like always, and she gave a goofy grin, showing them to the booth she and Claire had found already. Alice clearly had had a few drinks, as was evident by the empty pint glasses on the table, as opposed to Claire's first, which was still full. Jane shook her head, and let Maura slide down into the red leathered seat first.

"How are you, Maura?" Claire asked kindly, taking Alice's hand under the table once she rejoined them.

"I'm fine, thank you. Yourself?"

"Well," Claire paused, glancing at Alice, lifting up her left hand with Alice's right to the top of the table, her engagement ring glinting off the light provided in the bar. Maura's hazel orbs glanced down, then when she realised what it meant, she felt an enormous grin cut across her face from ear to ear. "We're engaged."

"Oh, congratulations!" Maura exclaimed, turning to Jane, who simply winked in response. "Isn't that marvellous, Jane?"

"I'm happy for ya, Abernathy. Taking your own advice sure works wonders, doesn't it?"

"Definitely." Alice gave Claire's fingers a squeeze again. "So what we were getting' at," Alice began, her words slightly slurred. Claire rolled her eyes, and continued on for her fiancée.

"We don't have formal invitations yet, but we'd love it if you two could come to our wedding. It'd mean so much."

"Oh of course!" Maura replied, reaching across the table to pat Claire's black sleeve of her jacket. "It will be lovely. I know many wedding planners if you need to call one, photographers too."

"Maura, c'mon. They just got engaged. Let'em decide."

"It's all right, Jane." Claire replied as Alice leaned into her, becoming rather quiet. "It'll be perfect one way or the other. It will be soon, maybe in a few months."

"Well, don't let Maur here go all crazy I-need-to-help-plan-everything moods."

"Oh be quiet," Maura nudged Jane in the side as their drinks finally came that they had ordered from Murphy upon entering the bar. Though once she had returned the nudge, Jane leaned into Maura lovingly, and put her toned arm over Maura's slim shoulders.

"Anyway, of course we'll go. Let us know the date and the time, and try to keep Alice sober." Jane joked, and Alice stuck out her tongue playfully before resting her head on Claire's shoulder.

"Oh, she won't be able to have any alcohol until _after_ the wedding." Claire said sternly, letting her fingers play with Alice's thick locks of hair, tucking them back from her fine featured face. Jane glanced to Maura, sharing a silent gaze to pass on her words, considering Maura almost knew what she was going to say before she said it. This time, it was about just how everything had turned out, from Alice showing up, going through hell, and finding love, to helping Jane realise her love for Maura, to become close friends with Alice, and now for Alice and Claire to get married almost brought it full circle. Jane didn't voice it then, but there was just one more thing that would make the whole thing even more perfect, and Maura knew she was thinking it too.

* * *

"Oh come on, Jill, they can wait." Frost grinned, leaning back on the couch as Jill's apartment door was knocked upon. She rolled her eyes, grabbing the house coat she had left on the back of the sofa, putting it on over the purple lingerie she was wearing. Padding over to the door, Frost, who was shirtless, followed, wondering who the hell wanted to come over at ten o'clock at night. Tucking her recently dyed hair behind her ears, Jill glanced through the peephole of her door, arching a brow at the man standing on the other side. Undoing the chain lock, she undid the bolt, and opened the door part way.

"Chris? What are you doing here?"

"Well, I uh, thought I'd pop by for a visit." Chris said, running a hand over his recently shaven head. Jill's grey eyes glanced over him. He was wearing a dress shirt that matched his pale blue eyes, and dress pants. She cleared her throat awkwardly, hearing Frost's footsteps approaching behind her.

"At ten at night?" She questioned.

"Well, I just got in to town. I met Alice for the first time just now… I uh had no idea Claire was… uh, into women. And uh… now I'm here, and -"

"There anything I can do for you?" Frost stuck his head out, his muscular arm going around Jill's middle from behind, grinning up at the tall, hulking figure in the apartment hall way. Chris's eyes narrowed slightly, and he squared up his shoulders, realising what he had just interrupted, or was about to anyway.

"Uh, no. Well, I'm here in town if you uh... want to get a coffee or somethin'."

"So you just show up out of the blue after not returning any of my phone calls?" Jill nudged Frost back, and he went back into the apartment, still curious to hear what the hell was going on between his girlfriend and the ape-like guy in the hall.

"I was busy, out of the goddamn country, and I come home to find you with another guy?" Chris shot back, not impressed.

"Well excuse me for moving on when you were out of my life for a year and a half completely! Not even an email? Really?"

"I was out of the country on a mission that you would've been on had you not moved out of Raccoon!"

"I moved because my best friend was stabbed on duty and needed her child's godmother to be here to help out! And turns out, I like it here a lot more than Raccoon!" Jill retorted, face growing flush as her anger rose. "You had your chance, Chris and you didn't take it. All those times, and you didn't say a damn word." Jill huffed, fiddling with the long strands of light hair between her fingers out of nervous habit.

"I-" Chris sighed, rubbing his cleanly shaven jaw. "What the hell did you do to your hair?"

"It… my hair was an accident. Alice didn't label her hair dyes properly, and well, this happened. Okay? Is there anything else you want?"

"You're dating that guy, huh? What's his name?"

"This isn't the time for this, but… his name is Barry Frost, he's a cop in the homicide department. He's… he's a good guy." Jill's tone quietened down, and a soft smile crossed her lips as she glanced up to her old partner. "But I'd still like to meet up for a coffee if you want, tomorrow. You're still my old partner, Chris. I missed you."

"Sure… meet you down at the place down around the corner?" Chris motioned to the right, thinking of the street he had passed on the way in to Jill's apartment block. He inwardly sighed. At least she was still going to go see him tomorrow, and that was better than nothing at all.

"Yeah, noon?"

"See you then. Take care, Jill." Chris said softly, and waited for Jill to slip back into her apartment, closing and locking the door before he turned, letting out the pent up sigh deeply as he fumbled out the bouquet of roses he had hidden behind his back the entire time. As he passed by the security woman of the apartment, sitting at her desk with all the mail boxes behind her, Chris stood and put the bouquet over the counter. "Take'em. She's… got a new man in her life." The brunette woman glanced up with sad eyes, and offered smile as she glanced at the dozen roses.

"You take care now. You never know. She might come back to you."

"Thanks for the optimism." Chris said before heading out in to the night air of the city, getting in his car to return to his hotel room down the road, alone.


	23. Epilogue

**A/N: All righty! Here is the epilogue of Two Sides of Me, bringing it all to a close. I've had real fun writing this fic, more than you'd believe in the last few months. It kind of took over my life for a bit there, and I intend on writing another Resident Evil/Rizzoli & Isles cross over (Much shorter. With zombies. And more emotion packed into once chapter than you would ever find here, and that's saying something.) **

**Anyway, thank you to everyone who has reviewed, and stuck by this story from the beginning. To answer your questions now, no I will not be writing a sequel. I left this ending as is to let your minds wander forever and always. **

**Love you all, and this chapter goes out to Brittany, Kris, Seb, and Vik. **

**Read, enjoy, and review!**

* * *

**Epilogue: **

"Thank you, Susie." Maura smiled as she handed off the stack of paperwork and folders to her Senior Analyst Chang. The bespectacled woman grinned as the medical examiner slid her feet into heels instead of flats, matching the lilac dress she was wearing. "I hope this isn't too much for you. This wedding crept up on me."

"It's fine, Maura." She replied, gazing through the number of case files. Ten in all. Not too bad, she thought. "I'm sure I'll be done before my date tonight." Maura paused as she was half bent over to slide her heel into her shoe, and arched a brow curiously. Chang had never really opened up about her personal life in the morgue.

"Oh?" Maura stood up, straightening out her dress, fluffing her gently curled hair.

"Yes, it'll be lovely. I met someone who works as a detective in the drug unit. Have fun at the wedding." Susie smiled again, heading off to her office to do her paper work in time. Maura took that tidbit of information, grabbing her clutch wallet before heading for the elevator where she was going to meet Jane, before heading out to Alice and Claire's fall wedding down at the Charles River, right along the banks.

* * *

Along the Charles River, a simple set up had been made for a small wedding between the two detectives. Alice was in a pant suit; Claire in a very traditional wedding dress covered in lace, and a veil. Alice stood at the makeshift altar in her black blazer, hair styled in lengthy curls to her shoulders. Rain Ocampo stood next to her, wearing a black dress shirt, tucked into black trousers, with a deep red tie to go along with the entire wedding's colour theme. Jill stood on the other side, dressed in a simple cut bridesmaid's dress, platinum blonde hair in an up-do, pinned with a silver clip. The few guests that were there sat in park benches, creating the aisle along the still green grass. Jane and Maura sat on one bench together, Frankie and Frost behind them, leaving the front seats open for those in the wedding, and Claire's brother, who had come to the wedding to walk his younger sister down the aisle. The minister that had come was a middle aged man, with dark features and hair, and a soft Hispanic accent. Alice's eyes fell first to her daughter who was the flower girl, watching as she took a seat on the front bench. Then, out of the limo at the park path came Chris leading his sister by the arm. Alice felt her heart melting with every step that her soon to be wife took. She was beautiful. She was perfect. Everything else so far, had been perfect. The wedding itself moved along at a smooth pace with Father Olivera's blessing, wedding the two women. Alice grinned as the words 'I do' slipped from her lips sweetly like honey, before Father Oliveira gave the go ahead. Alice carefully leaned in, her arm around Claire's waist, dipping her slightly before kissing her passionately. There they were. Detective and Detective Abernathy-Redfield. The audience gave a great round of applause, and Jane glanced to Maura, once the two newlyweds headed off to their limo to meet everyone at the reception, which was being held at the rented out Dirty Robber bar.

* * *

"Would you ever wanna, y'know, do this? Get married?" She asked curiously, seeing the black Cadillac limousine pull away as the other guests began heading for their parked cars a good half mile back out of the park. Maura reached for Jane's hand as they started to walk together towards Maura's blue Prius.

"As long as I can still wear the designer dress with the twenty foot train." She teased, bringing up the conversation they had had earlier that day about weddings, and how Jane wanted hers to be baseball themed. "Then, it's a yes."

"So, you're sayin' you'll marry me?" Jane arched a brow inquisitively, knowing her Maura was not able to bring herself to ever lie. They kept walking until they reached the car, and Maura unlocked it with her key, standing on the driver's side, leaning against the roof of the Toyota. She had to pause again before giving Jane a less than obvious wink.

"Someday, I would like to. "

* * *

Flicking the scene of the little flower girl getting into the car with her newlywed mother in the park off the television screen in the corner of the room with the touch of a remote, a man in a pressed suit swivelled in his wheeled chair around 180 degrees to glance out through panels of tinted glass into the cityscape before him. It was illuminated by the setting sun above Raccoon City. He reached into his pocket, and held out a cellphone to his ear, waiting for an answer after dialing in quite a lengthy number.

"Yes, this is Wesker. Albert Wesker. I'm looking for a hit man. No, not just any hit man. I need one who is willing to kill a… child."


End file.
